Method to My Madness
by ShikiXVI
Summary: HP grows up with a painful past and ancient magic. Hogwarts seemed like a new start until she hears a voice in her head and the awful dreams began. What can a girl do to take over the world? Well, it is already insane. More insanity wouldn't hurt...probably. Eventual Time Travel. Darkish!Harry Smart!Harry Fem!Harry Manipulative!Dumbledore. Canon but not really. AUish
1. The Opposite Façade

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is made by the great JKR

Method to My Madness

Chapter 1: The Opposite Façade

On July 31, 1980, a baby's cry rang out in the silence of Godric's Hollow. Lily Potter looked down at her daughter in her arms. Verdant green eyes flashed brilliantly in the dark and the baby giggled at her mother. A sound between a sob and laugh escaped Lily's throat.

"James, she is beautiful." The new mother whispered.

"Yes. She is our beautiful daughter." Her husband replied.

As if knowing what her mother was saying, Harriet Potter started making cooing noises and laughed. Seeing her daughter laugh, Lily felt a warm feeling was over her. But as soon as it came, it was replaced by dread. Lily's face suddenly turned serious. This precious baby, her little girl, will have to grow up in a time of war with the possible weight of being the savior. It was not the future Lily had imagined for her child at all, and it was certainly not the future that Lily planned for her child to have.

"James, the prophecy, we _have_ to protect her. She is our baby girl." Lily stated quietly. She knew the future for them was bleak, and a dark premonition hung in the air.

James sighed.

"You know I will never put our child in harm's way Lily. But both you and I know the prophecy. She will be the one to defeat You-Know-Who."

"You mean Voldemort." Lily replied bitterly.

"Yes, him."

"She doesn't _have_ to, didn't the Longbottom family also have a child? That child could be the one! We just have to hide her, no one has to know about her. We could say it was a miscarriage. There are so many ways, James –" Lily was getting increasingly hysterious, her voices getting higher as she talked.

Feeling her mother's distress, Harriet Potter suddenly started crying. Loud wails reverberated through the room. Lily quickly lowered her voice and began calming the baby.

"Shhh, shhh. It's okay little one."

"Lily, I'm obligated to talk to Albus about this. You know that."

Lily stiffened. "You are under _no_ obligations to talk to him James."

"Lily." James' voice contained a hint of exasperation.

"James." Lily replied coldly.

"It's for the greater good."

"Isn't it always? You have been around Albus so long that you are even talking like him. I _will_ _not_ put my child in danger."

"Don't you see Lily? Albus may be able to save our child. He is after all, the most powerful light wizard."

"Really?" Lily asked suspiciously.

"Yes, I'm sure he can help."

"Fine. But I will be the one to tell him and negotiate the terms."

"That's alright." James conceded. "We can head out once you have recovered from the birth. Perhaps in two weeks."

Lily's eyes hardened.

"No. I will go in one week. Two weeks is too long. The future is so unpredictable that no one will know what might happen in two weeks."

-One Week Later-

Soft moonlight shined from the windows into the nursery of Godric Hollows. Lily Potter slowly opened the door and stepped inside, careful not to wake her husband who was sleeping soundly in the next room over. She had her battle robes on, her hair tied back and green eyes full of determination. In her hand was her husband's invisibility cloak. Quietly, she crossed the room to the crib in the center. Baby Harriet Potter was awake, as if she expected her mother. She stared inquisitively at her mother when she arrived at her crib, but was thankfully silent. Lily quickly put on her invisibility robe and reached to carry Harriet. The infant let out a soft gurgle and Lily apparated with a soft pop.

The two appeared at the edge of the forbidden forest. Since Hogwarts had anti-apparition wards, Lily would have to walk through the forbidden forest to get to Hogwarts grounds. Although she was invisible, Lily still drew her wand as she began walking into the forest, Harriet Potter clutched close to her chest. She threaded softly and silently across the dense foliage, taking care to not give her position away to any of the creatures lurking within.

When Lily had estimated that she was about halfway through the forest, she heard the sound of hooves in the distance. It could only mean one thing. Centaurs. And centaurs were not friendly to intruders. Lily quickened her pace as much as she could without making a ruckus. However, the sound grew steadily closer. As Lily ran, suddenly she realized that the sound of hooves stopped. Carefully, she turned around. It was dark behind her, the moon's light blocked by the leaves of the massive trees.

"Lumos" Lily casted.

A soft light emanated from the tip of her wand. There was nothing behind her. Giving a sigh of relief, Lily turned around and ran straight into a hard wall. Her eyes widened as she stared at the centaur in front of her. The centaur looked down at her calmly, Lily could've sworn he saw through the invisibility cloak if not for the fact that it was an _invisibility_ cloak and the centaur was blind.

"Human, I can feel you. You have no need to fear me. I give you my word." The centaur stated.

Magic rippled around the in the air and Lily took of the hood of the invisibility cloak.

"Who are you and what do you want?" She asked tersely.

The centaur smiled.

"I see many things little one. Things that were, things that are, things that will be. It is all written in the stars."

Lily scowled.

"Stop talking in riddles. I have no time for this."

The centaur chucked. "And yet your daughter will become the master of all riddles. I came to give you an advice and a warning. Should you heed them, I can guarantee the safety of your daughter."

Lily eyed him suspiciously.

"Well? Get on with it."

The centaur looked to the moon and began chanting softly.

 _A child is born as the seventh month dies,_

 _No one knows the truth she must hide._

 _Her natural state is of great peril,_

 _Until the time of her reveal._

 _Seek safety in the opposite façade,_

 _The scars will heal but never fade._

 _Born with the power the Dark Lord knows not,_

 _A prophecy broken a prophecy wrought._

 _Flee, flee, flee through the times._

 _To the place where church bells chime._

The centaur looked down at Lily who was wearing a very confused expression on her face.

"That is all I can say to help. The future changes every second, but this should guide the young child onto the right path."

"You can't expect me to believe that." Lily retorted. "All you gave me were more riddles."

The centaur sighed, exasperated.

"Turn your child into a boy." The centaur stated calmly.

Lily looked at him blankly.

"Seek safety in the opposite façade." The centaur repeated. "Her identity as a girl will put her in danger until the time she is to reveal it. That is all I can say. I stand by my earlier words, if you heed my advice and warning, your child will be safe."

"Wait what was your warning? All you gave me was a riddle telling me to turn my precious girl into a boy."

"Not _into_ a boy. Disguise her as one."

"But I don't know how thought. Polyjuice only last for a little while, and I don't think I should feed that to a baby."

"Which is why you won't. I have a specific method to disguise her. Tell me first, have you decided to accept my advice?" The centaur asked.

"Do you guarantee her safety?"

"Yes."

"Alright. I accept. What do I need to do?"

"You will need to bring her to the fairies. I will accompany and guide you to them. They will be able to disguise the child. After all, they will be quite close with her in the near future."

Lily raised an eyebrow at the last comment but the centaur did not explain himself.

"And the warning?" she prompted.

"Tell Dumbledore and everyone to beware the tales that dead men tell. There is a traitor amongst you."

"What do you mean?"

"I cannot say more. I apologize."

Lily accepted his answer and tilted her head.

"Alright then. When do I go meet the fairies?"

"Now."

The centaur began walking away from her. Lily hastily pulled up her hood and began following him. They did not walk far before they stopped. In front of them was a circle of Toadstools, their bright red cap with white spots seemed out of place in the otherwise dark forest.

"A fairy ring." Lily whispered.

"Indeed, human." The centaur confirmed.

"They are dangerous." Lily exclaimed.

The centaur gave her another look that seemed to see through the invisibility cloak.

"No, not when I am here. They will accept us. I have known these good fairies for a long time. We have been expecting you, or more specifically, you child." The centaur gave a pointed look at Harriet. He extended a hand to Lily.

"Come."

Taking a deep breath, Lily took his hand and they both stepped through the ring.

The first thing that Lily saw was the colors. It was bright and vibrant. Curiously, the sun was shining although Lily knew for a fact that it was night time. Blinking rapidly to adjust her eyes to the light, Lily began to look around. Going across the fairy ring was similar to traveling across an imaginary portal. Behind, her, she could still see the forest, but in front of her was a robust village full of people in colorful attire with wings. What was even more surprising was the several goblins that Lily spotted in the crowd.

The village was circular in structure, the toadstools that had seemed very small at first was now very large, and they formed the circular perimeter around the village. Between each toadstool was a small portal that was very similar to the one Lily traveled across. She could see the forest through them. The center was an elaborate market, with the residential areas built around it. Idly, Lily wondered if she shrank in size, but decided that it didn't really matter as long as her child was safe.

Lily glanced at the baby in her arms. Harriet had fallen asleep sometimes after she entered the forbidden forest, and had been sleeping through Lily's discussion with the centaur. Quickly running her hands through the child's curls, Lily smiled lightly. The centaur besides her began moving and Lily followed.

They walked to a small house at the edge of the town. It was inconspicuous, but Lily could feel it radiating magic. The centaur knocked on the door and two fairy children opened it, their wings flapping quickly in excitement. They had white hair and gold eyes uncommonly seen in children, even for fairies. Upon seeing the centaur, one of the yelled into the room.

"Grandpa! They are here!"

A much older fairy dressed in white appeared. He had a long white beard, and long eyebrows. Wrinkles adorned his face, and a set of golden eyes peered at them.

"Yes, yes, the human and the centaur. I have been expecting you. Do come in."

He indicated for the children to widen the door and the two stepped inside.

"I have been expecting you." The fairy stated.

"I know elder one, I have brought the human as you requested and I have told her the riddle from the stars."

The fairy nodded.

"Then you know what needs to be done." He said to Lily.

Lily nodded.

"Come, follow me."

The fairy began walking into the house. Despite its outside appearance, the house was very spacious inside. The fairy lead them to a large room with a spell written in the middle of the ground. Two the sides, there were bookcases filled with books, and tables filled with herbs and writings. To the corner, a cabinet was tucked away. Another table had potions flask and cauldrons on it, to the side, there was a small workspace. Lily concluded that it was used as a potions lab and a study.

"May I see the child?" The fairy asked.

Lily handed him Harriet and the child woke at the movement. She opened her eyes and looked directly into the fairy's eyes. They held eye contact for a minute before Harriet apparently lost interest and began sleeping again. The fairy looked at her in wonder.

"A very, very, special child indeed. Remarkable" He muttered as he set the child down on the table before using a pair of scissors to cut off a lock of Harriet's hair. Before Lily could make an objection, the fairy spoke.

"A lock of your hair please Lily Potter."

Lily looked at him in surprise. "How did you know my name?"

"Nargles. A lock please."

The fairy handed Lily the scissors. Lily cleanly cut off a lock and gave it to the fairy along with the scissors. He hummed his approval and set the hair aside.

"What are doing with it?" Lily asked.

"I'm making what you came here for Lily Potter." The fairy replied.

"Children!" He bellowed.

The two fairy children quickly flitted into the room.

"Yes Grandpa?" They answered simultaneously.

"Come here." He motioned for the children to come.

When the children were in his vicinity, the old fairy neatly clipped a lock of hair from each of their heads. Once he was done, he looked at the array of hair in front of him and put it all in the cauldron. Then, he grabbed a few flasks from his shelf and began pouring the contents in. After stirring it for some time, he looked at Lily again.

"I need your blood." He stated bluntly. "Think about Harriet and how much you love her when you give it. Just a drop will do."

Lily stepped forward.

"What is this for?" She asked.

"Love." The wizard simply replied.

Lily shrugged and bit her thumb. She thought about the first day that Harriet was born, her happiness for her child, and how she wanted to protect her.

A drop off blood ran from her finger and sizzled in the cauldron. The fairy began to stir it again. Seven times clockwise, seven times counterclockwise. The solution inside became a light pink color. The fairy poured it into a small bottle and gave it to Lily.

"Have her drink this. It will keep her growth as a girl to the minimum until the time it is right to release it. Once the spell is released, your daughter will gain her true form."

"How will I know when to release it?" Lily asked.

The fairy chuckled. "You won't be the one to release it Lily Potter. Your daughter will. When she experience love and the love is returned, the spell will release itself."

Lily accepted the explanation and began waking baby Harriet who was sleeping on the table. Using her wand, Lily transfigured a pacifier and placed it on the bottle. Harriet Potter only stared at the bottle in front of her but refused to drink it. When Lily tried making her dink it, the infant kicked up a fuss.

"Here, my dear child. Drink this. It will protect you." Lily urged. Harriet Potter paused and looked at her mother. Lily smiled, "It's alright Harriet."

Slowly, the baby started drinking in the potion. When the last drop was finished, a pink glow surrounded the baby before fading inwards.

"Harry Potter." Lily whispered. "A name where truth and lies cross."

"We are done here." Said the centaur who had been waiting for the door.

Seeing the old fairy nod, Lily gathered her child up and began walking towards the door. Before she left, she turned to the fairy, a frown marring her face.

"I understand somewhat about my hair and Harriet's. But what about your fairy children's?" She asked.

The old fairy smiled mysteriously. "A protection charm, Lily Potter."

Giving him one last stare, Lily Potter turned and left. The night grows old, and she still had Albus to meet.

A/N: So I know I should probably be writing my other fanfics instead of this one, but plot bunnies. Anyways, this chapter is like a prologue (kinda) I'm planning for this fanfic to be quite long, but we will see how it goes. R&R. Hope you enjoy!


	2. The Tales Dead Men Tell

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belong to the great JKR

Method of Madness

Chapter 2: The Tales Dead Men Tell

Lily hastened towards Hogwarts. The moon hung low in the sky and streaks of light could be seen at the horizon. Lily entered the castle quietly and went directly to the headmaster's office. Upon arriving at the gargoyles, Lily whispered the names of all the candy she knew. After the first five tries, the door opened. Lily pulled off her cloak and entered the room. Dumbledore was sitting by his desk, his half-moon glasses were on, and he was examining the tome in front of him. He was wearing a purple robe with brightly colored red and green stars on it. Hearing the door open, Dumbledore looked up, his eyes twinkling with surprise.

"Lily, what brought this surprise today?"

"Headmaster, I came to find a safe haven for my … son." She stated.

"Oh! It's a boy then? Congratulations."

Lily nodded her thanks.

"I suppose we could send him to the muggle world." Dumbledore continued, "Voldemort wouldn't look there."

"No. He stays with me." Lily replied sharply.

"Then what do you want to do my dear?"

Lily took a deep breath. "All I ask is that you keep this under wraps headmaster. Please, don't tell anyone outside the order about him. The less information that Voldemort has available, the less he will know."

Dumbledore considered the thought and acquiesced.

"Alright Lily. I give you my word. I shall speak to no one outside the order on this."

"Thank you." Lily sighed in relief.

"Would you like to fire call your husband and tell him to come? Floo perhaps?" Dumbledore asked.

"No, that's quite alright." Lily replied. "I will go the way I came."

Dumbledore nodded and Lily left quietly. Slipping her way out of the castle, Lily hurried home, determined to tell her husband the events of the night.

James was still asleep when Lily got back. Lily went to the nursery and gently set Harriet down. The baby gurgled softly but did not wake up. Calmly walking back to the master bedroom, Lily slipped off the invisibility cloak and into her nightie. Slowly, she eased into the bed and fell into a dreamless sleep. When her husband wakes up, she would tell him about the fairy, about their child becoming a boy, and the riddle. Together, they will make sure Harriet, now known as Harry, would have a safe future.

\- 14 weeks later -

The night was silent in Godric's hollow, it was October 31, but it was unlike the usual Halloween where some wizards have decided to adopt the muggle tradition of going around for treats. Not a soul walked on the road, all the parents had made their children stay at home for this night. Voldemort has been quiet. Too quiet. Everyone lived in fear. For the past year, attacks has increased magnitude and frequency until one day, they stopped. No death eater sightings, no death mark, no sign of Voldemort. If one was a positive person, one would think that perhaps, Voldemort has given up and the light has won. However, most knew better, and mirroring his actions, the order of phoenix laid low in wait of an ambush.

Within the order, Dumbledore has kept his word and ensured the secret of Harry's birth. The only people who knew about it was the Potter family, and Peter Pettigrew, their secret keeper. Upon the abrupt stop of death eater attacks, Dumbledore suggested that the Potters keep their home under a Fidelius charm just as an extra precaution. James and Lily had first taken Sirius aside to ask him to be their secret keeper, but Sirius recommended Peter instead, stating that Peter was one of the least likely candidate to be chosen to be the secret keeper, thus he was chosen. No one except the Potter family knew this.

The scene inside the Potter's home on this night was quite cheerful. James was playing with Harriet in the living room while Lily was baking some cookies in the kitchen.

"Here Harry, ring ring." James cooed at the baby while swinging a musical shaker in front of Harry.

Harry giggled at her father and made an attempt to grab at the toy. James laughed and moved the toy right out of her reach whenever she moved.

A sudden disturbance in the wards was the only warning that James received before a shadow moved into the room. The shadow quickly gained shaped, a pale head, red eyes, and a wand pointed straight at him.

"Well, well, well. Isn't this a lovely sight?" Voldemort drawled.

"LILY!" James screamed

Lily Potter ran from the kitchen.

"What is it James? Whats – Oh Merlin!"

Not paying attention to his wife's outburst, James quickly scooped up baby Harry from the ground and handed her to his wife.

"Get Harry to safety Lily, Run, run NOW!" James ordered he pushed her out into the hallway as Voldemort advanced on them.

Giving her husband one last tearful glance, Lily fled.

"Now, now, now no need to hurry. I will make sure to kill you all quite nicely." Voldemort spoke, his last words coming out as a hiss

With Lily gone, James turned at faced the snake faced man at the other end of the hall.

"Stay away Voldemort." James yelled.

"Or what? Do you think you can stop me? Going to call for that fool you call the Light Lord?" Voldemort mocked.

"Over my dead body." James muttered and reached for his wand. His wand holster was empty, he was using it to transfigure the music shaker for Harry in the living room. James' eyes widened in horror at the realization that he had no wand on him. Apparently, Voldemort came to the same conclusion as a cruel smirk found its way onto his face.

"Oh my, it seems like you are out of luck. What's a wizard without his wand? Nothing." He hissed.

Cold eyes glinting cruelly, Voldemort laughed and aimed his wand at James.

" _Avada Kedavra"_

Green light shot from his wand, hitting James square in the chest. The man let out a strangled cry before collapsing on the ground, dead.

"Hmm." Voldemort crossed the hall and stepped over the body. He made his way slowly up the stairs, making sure that every step of his was heard. Sweeping through the empty rooms long the hall, Voldemort walked down to the end where the nursery was located.

"Found you."

With one hand, he softly pushed at the door and the door swung open. Lily Potter was in front of the crib, with Harry inside. She had her wand trained on Voldemort. Voldemort frowned.

"Put that stick away Lily. If you step aside I promise I won't kill you. I can't say the same for your child though." Voldemort stated.

"Never!" Lily replied back.

Voldemort sighed.

"You light fools never learn do you?" He asked rhetorically.

Before Lily could reply, He spoke the killing curse.

"Avada Kedavra."

Green light hit Lily and she crumpled down, her eyes searching for her daughter before she died. With a swish of his wand, Voldemort levitated Lily's body to the other side of the rooms as he walked towards the crib. Red eyes met green and Voldemort stared at the baby inside. Harry Potter met Voldemort's gaze with a steady gaze of her own. She held no fear for the man in front of her, she simply stared, her eyes seemed to glow green in the dark.

"Finally, you will be dead. Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort shouted.

Another stream of green light shot its way towards the infant. To Voldemort's surprise and horror however, instead of actually killing the creature in the crib, it _came back_ at him. Before he could react, the light shot at him in the chest, and he start to feel himself disintegrating. Gritting his teeth, Voldemort's eyes glowed red, and he mutter something under his breath before he completely disintegrated, his wand clattering loudly when it dropped onto the floor.

Harry Potter started crying from her crib. Her wails resounded through the house but no one was there to answer. When the baby started to panic a soft golden glow started to emanate from her body. Two small light traveled through the window before landing beside her crib. Once there, the light expanded, and two fairy children looked down at the baby.

"What grandpa told us came true." One said.

"Poor child," commented the other.

One of them carried Harry out of her crib and began calming her down, and the other began to warding the house. When the order arrive, they will find everything exactly as how the place had been after the battle. However, Harry would be gone.

The two fairies looked at each other and transformed back into their smaller light forms transforming baby Harry with them, and the three silently left the tragic house.

November 1, 1980

When Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore received a notice that the death mark has been spotted over the Potter's house in Godric's Hollow, his face paled and his eyes lost its twinkle. Heading out of Hogwart grounds, he immediately contacted Peter Pettigrew to find the location of the Potter house and apparated there. The house lay in shambles, destroyed by Voldemort's attack. Quickly, Dumbledore hurried inside. The house was silent and seemingly empty. For a moment, Dumbledore had the hope that maybe James and Lily didn't die after all and that they had escaped except they didn't have time to contact him. When he went to the hallway though, his hopes were dashed. James laid cold and still on the ground. Dumbledore placed a hand on James' body and put a stasis charm on it. He then headed upstairs to find Lily.

When he arrived in the nursery, he saw Lily's form on the ground and also cast a stasis charm over her. The crib was empty, and Harry Potter was nowhere to be seen. Assuming that Voldemort had completely destroyed the boy, Dumbledore decided to make the Potters a martyr family. Their death will be used to raise the morals of the light. As he gave a final look around the room, Dumbledore turned around and left, not noticing the tip of the wand that was under Harry's crib, nor the rat that was beside said wand.

A great sense of sorrow and loss washed over him when Sirius Black heard about the Potters' deaths. This sadness was soon swept away when Sirius realized that only one person could have told Voldemort where the Potters' house in Godric's Hollow was. When Dumbledore called for an Order meeting, Sirius could only seethe inside when he saw the face of his traitorous friend. He wanted to demand an answer from the rat, but in the light of James and Lily's death, he adopted a somber attitude and genuinely mourned for his friends. When the meeting was over, Sirius took the time to stay behind for a while and discreetly follow Peter.

Peter Pettigrew walked briskly, not in confidence but in fear. The man constantly looked around as if searching for an unknown attacker. Sirius made sure he kept his distance. When they arrived in a less populated area where the slums were located, Sirius quickly closed the gap between them and tapped Peter on the shoulder.

"Peter."

The man let out a high pitched squeal and whipped around, his wand out. When he saw that it was Sirius, he relaxed but did not lower his guard.

"Ah, ah S-Sirius. I didn't know you were walking this way."

The man's voice was weak and shaking, his eyes constantly shifted.

"You know why I am here Peter."

"Oh do I now? You, you know I'm not a Legilimens Sirius."

Peter gave a weak laugh, expecting Sirius to laugh with him.

"There was only one reason that Voldemort could have found the Potter's house even through it was under a Fidelius charm."

"What do you mean?" Peter questioned cautiously.

"Don't pretend you don't know Peter." Sirius scoffed. "I _know_ that you were their secret keeper. What I _want_ to know is why you betrayed us." Sirius stated menacingly.

Peter began laughing manically.

"You fools! The dark lord will win and Dumbledore will fall. My master never loses, and the Potter brat deserved to die! After all these years you guys have treated me with contempt, now the dark lord will crush you!" Peter began to run.

"YOU RAT!" Sirius bellowed and gave chase.

Peter ran throughout muggle London. When Sirius casted spells at him, Peter would grab a nearby muggle as a shield before using the killing curse on them. This made it very hard for Sirius to give a chase since he wanted to involve muggles as less as possible. The chase seemed to finally come to an end when Sirius cornered Peter in an alleyway.

"There is nowhere to escape Peter."

The shorter man laughed.

"Oh, that's where you are wrong Sirius. By now I imagine the Ministry is receiving quite the report of magical activity in muggle London." He giggled madly.

The sound of apparition resounded among them in the small alley. However, Sirius paid them no mind, all he saw was the straw haired man calmly cutting off his own finger before transforming into his animagus form and slinking away into the sewers.

"No!" Sirius shouted and lunged for the rat.

Arms locked around him, and Sirius distantly heard an Auror speak before him.

"Sirius Black, you are charged with the use of illegal magic in muggle area, the murder of twelve muggles, the murder of one Peter Pettigrew, and espionage for You-Know-Who."

The Auror gave a curt nod to his comrades.

"You may take him away."

Sirius felt himself being lifted and he tried to struggle in his restraints.

"You are wrong! Peter, he did it all! I'm innocent, I demand a trial!" As Sirius' struggles increased, one of the other Aurors quietly came up behind him.

"Stupefy."

Sirius stilled, and he slumped, unconscious.

One of the Aurors collected Peter's bloody finger and a series of pops sounded in the alleyway, when silence reigned, the alley was empty.

The cell they put him in was dark and cold. Sirius did not know how long he had been there. All they had fed him was water and bread. A slit of light appeared on the floor in front of his cell as a door opened. Sirius saw the face that he was all too glad to see.

"Albus! Thank Merlin you are finally here. You have to get me a trial, I didn't do it you see. Peter, he was the one who betrayed us he –"

"Sirius, you disappoint me." Dumbledore cut in.

"What?" Sirius gaped, not understanding.

"I never thought you would fall so low as to spy on the dark lord and blame the murder of twelve muggles and your best friends on your other friend." Dumbledore replied coldly.

"No! You don't understand Albus, Peter … he was the secret keeper!"

"Again with the lies Sirius? Lily, James, and Harry died for the greater good, there sacrifice was well made." Dumbledore spoke monotonously, as if his lines were rehearsed. Sirius' eyes widened in horror.

"You. You have no plan to give me a trial."

"I do not give trials to traitors." Dumbledore seethed before drawing back. "It would be pointless wouldn't it, at this rate you are no use towards the Light. Goodbye Sirius, I doubt I will ever see you again in Azkaban." With his last line, Dumbledore left leaving Sirius behind back in the dark.


	3. In Plain Sight

Disclaimer: Harry Potter by JKR. Riel and Sharyl are mine.

Method to My Madness

Chapter 3: In Plain Sight

"Pappy! Flowers!"

A five-year-old Harry Potter ran through the house into the living room, scattering flower petals around in excitement. The room was a cozy place. There was a small fire in the fireplace, and the walls were lined with naturally carved out shelves that were filled with books. At first, think that it was a very quiet and tidy place, but the flower petals haphazardly thrown around the room erased that image.

As Harry continued to jump around, a wizened old fairy walked in from a nearby hall way. With a quick glance at the state of the living room, the fairy sighed as he beckoned the girl over.

"Harry, come here."

Harry hopped down from the couch where she was currently jumping on. The child approached the fairy with a wide smile and held out a bouquet of flowers.

"Pappy! Flowers!" The child repeated as she pushed the flowers toward the old fairy.

The fairy looked down with a brief moment of sadness at the plucked flowers in Harry's hand before giving the girl a smile and thanking her. Then, looking out at the window, the fairy bellowed.

"Children!"

Two small lights streaked wildly inside the room and flashed, revealing two fairy children tangled together on the floor. Dirt streaked in their white hair and on their face. Their clothes were muddy and tattered, but the sheepish grin on their face and the mischievous glint in their golden eyes told a different story from their outward appearance. Before the old fairy could reprimand them, one quickly stood up and pointed at Harry.

"Grandpa! It was Harriet's fault! She wanted to pull the flowers. Sharyl and I tried to stop her but the witch pushed us into the mud, and you _know_ how hard it is to clean mud off out wings, so when we tried to tackled her, Harry ran so we chased but then we slipped on a moss stone and stumbled into brambles, and you know how they snag, so then –"

"Enough, Gabriel." The old fairy cut in. "You were supposed to watch over Harry, but instead you and your brother got in even more trouble." He sighed.

The boy looked down, "Well we tried, but Harriet kept crying and Sharyl and I wanted to cheer her up so we took her to see the garden."

"Well intentions sometimes do not lead to positive results. You and your brother will regrow the garden." The fairy decided.

"But Grandpa, Harriet is the one that destroyed it." The child known as Gabriel complained. Harry giggled and Gabriel shot her a dark look. As they began shuffling outside, the other child, Sharyl, placed a hand on Gabriel's shoulder, drawing his attention away from Harry.

'"Riel, remember it's 'Harry' not 'Harriet' and 'he' not 'she', we can't let any outsiders know." His brother spoke softly. Gabriel tusked and nodded sulkily. The old fairy nodded approvingly at both children. After a few seconds in contemplation, he gave them a smile and pushed Harry towards them.

"Sharyl, Gabriel, how about this. Since Harry does share part of the blame, she will help you guys replant the garden but you both will have to teach her how to do it since she has never done it before. I will give you another chance to look after her."

"Yes Grandpa!" The two boys chorused before dragging Harry behind them. Gabriel grinned madly, but Sharyl just gave a smile. The old fairy's gaze followed the trio until they disappeared behind the house. Once he was certain the children were working, he turned back and quietly walked back into the hallway.

Meanwhile, Gabriel was thinking of different ways to make Harry suffer for all the things she had put him through. Certainly, a prank was in order, after all it was Harry's mess that they had to clean up. As the trio walked towards the garden, Gabriel noticed that Harry was running beside them wildly while Sharyl was mainly deeply engrossed in his own thoughts. Smiling mischievously, Gabriel elevated the ground before Harry slightly so that there was a small but sturdy rock in front of her.

Harry, not looking at where she was going in front of her, ran straight towards the rock, tripping on it in the process. Inwardly, Gabriel snickered at the way Harry fell face first towards the ground but he kept a mostly composed outward expression. Harry on the other hand, had scrapped her hands and knees when she fell. Once her position and the pain registered to her, Harry began wailing at the top of her lungs. Sharyl quickly ran over to Harry and threw a disapproving glance at Gabriel once he felt the residue fairy magic. Gabriel only shrugged nonchalantly in response.

"Riel, what if Grandpa hears her and we get into trouble _again_?" he hissed.

"Well, he deserved it." Gabriel replied stubbornly.

"Not if it hurts him." Sharyl retorted, "Apologize to Harry."

"Fine." Gabriel pouted and trudged over to Harry.

Harry was still crying, though softer and Gabriel stared at her face. When he thought about the prank, it seemed harmless enough, and certainly funny. However, it didn't exactly make him feel comfortable to see Harry sitting on the ground crying. Gabriel leaned over and planted a quick kiss on Harry's brow.

"I'm sorry Harry, I went too far." Turning to Sharyl, he asked, "You take care of the knees and I'll take care of the hands?"

Sharyl nodded, and the two proceeded to heal Harry's hands and knees respectively.

"Pretty flowers!" Harry exclaimed when the twin's golden magic surrounded her wounds. The twin's magic had a golden hue with soft tendrils at the end. Since both boys were keeping it in a ball shaped form in order to conveniently heal Harry, their magic resembled the daffodils that often grew on the outskirts of the village.

Harry giggled as the warmth of the healing magic tickled at her skin.

"Riel, Teach! Teach! Teach!" Harry began chanting animatedly as she reached her hands out towards Gabriel. Gabriel scrunched up his face into a frown, though the mischievous glint in his eyes revealed otherwise.

"No."

"But Riel, I want teach! Teach now!" The child pouted.

"No."

"Bad Riel." Harry sulked crossly. "Ignore bad Riel if Riel no teach." She crossed her arms and turned her head away from Riel. Gabriel dramatically pretended to be wounded.

"Oh! What shall I do? Harry won't talk to me." Gabriel fake-cried into his hands. "Well, I _suppose_ I can only obey your wishes Harry." Gabriel dropped to his knees in front of a wide-eyed Harry.

"Your wish is my command, princess" He made an extravagant pose of bowing, one hand reaching out to Harry while another at his chest.

"Gabriel…" Sharyl warned.

"Tssk, Sharyl no one is here with us right now. And if the world doesn't treat her like the girl she deserves to be treated as, _we_ can at least treat her like one." He retorted.

Sharyl responded with a long drawn out sigh, but remained silent looking at them with slight exasperation in his eyes. Seeing that his twin wasn't preparing to go on a long lecture about Harry's safety, Gabriel returned his attention to Harry. It wasn't that Harry's safety mattered less to him, in fact, he also worried about Harry's safety. But Harry was a child, and Harry should be able to play and be free before worrying about the reality of the magic and muggle world.

Harry grinned at the outstretched hand before bypassing the hand all together and launching herself at Gabriel. Surprised by the sudden attack, Gabriel toppled and fell from his kneeling position. Groaning, he blinked several times before his eyes focused on the exuberant child on top of him.

"Riel teach!" The child chirped. Gabriel groaned and Sharyl threw a smug smirk his way.

"Well, it seems that the princess has made her wish." He teased.

"Shut up." Gabriel huffed as he adjusted Harry and himself into a sitting position. Looking over the human child, Gabriel noticed small cuts in Harry's hand when she tackled him into the ground. Glancing over at the older twin, Gabriel sent him a contemplative glance.

"Sharyl, do you think we can teach Harry how to use healing magic?"

Sharyl shrugged. It was a known fact that fairies could use magic from birth. As magical creatures, the use of magic is instinctual to them. Harry however, was a human wizard and humans had their own healing magic. Grandpa never taught any human magic to them, and they followed the teachings of the fairies. In fact, throughout history, there hasn't been any attempt at teaching human fairy magic before. Putting aside the question of whether they could do it or not, fairy magic may even be harmful to Harry. After all, there _was_ a reason that cross-species magic didn't mix right? Or perhaps magic was the same everywhere, and only the _process_ of using magic was different? But then if they taught Harry fairy magic, would she still be able to use magic the human way? Sharyl groaned at all the implications. Grandpa didn't teach them any magical theory at all, they weren't at that level yet. However, he never indicated that it may be dangerous, but still …

"Sharyl?"

The voice broke him out of his thought and Sharyl was met with two pairs of expectant eyes. He blinked. Well, if anything goes wrong, Grandpa could fix it. Giving out another sigh at the other two's antics. Sharyl nodded resignedly.

"Fine. But _I'm_ the one teaching her Gabriel, you can help out. Who knows what trouble you will cook up if you taught her." Gabriel pouted but gave a nod. Looking down at Harry who was still sitting beside Gabriel in the ground, Sharyl hoisted the girl up and checked her over for any other injuries. Satisfied with his inspection, Sharyl crouched down and examined Harry's hands.

"Harry, does this hurt?" he indicated to the cuts on her palms.

Harry nodded.

"Do you want to learn magic?" he asked.

Harry nodded again.

"Alright. I'm going to show you on the right hand, and you will try to copy me on your other hand okay?" Sharyl asked.

Harry smiled and nodded again. " Okay Sharyl." She agreed.

Sharyl carefully held her hand and gathered magic in the palm of his hands. His hands glowed and the same ball of light appeared and began healing Harry's hand. The girl giggled and attempted to mimic the fairy. Harry stared at her other hand, the one that still had cuts on it, and tried to make the glowing flower ball appear. When nothing happened, Harry stared harder, willing the magic to appear. Gabriel laughed at Harry's poor attempt to do magic, and Harry felt small prickles of tears gathering in her eyes at the continued lack of success. Noticing Harry's downcast face, Sharyl quickly jabbed an elbow in Gabriel's direction, abruptly and efficiently stopping him from making any more noise. Gabriel was about to confront his brother on his actions when he noticed the look on Harry's face and quickly sobered.

"Sorry princess, that's not how you do it." Gabriel apologized softly. "I didn't mean to laugh at you, but your face while concentrating was too funny."

"Try to think of something happy Harry." Sharyl suggested.

Harry blinked back the tears. "I can't do it Sharyl, don't know how to make flowers." The girl said sadly.

"Pain, pain fly away." Gabriel whispered as he blew at Harry's hand. "Did you know Harry, happiness takes the pain away. If you believe in yourself, you can do anything. Too many people limit themselves and their own potential with self-imposed limits. Don't ever limit yourself to the possible. Aim for the impossible"

Harry blinked. Despite of Gabriel and Sharyl being her playmates for most of her life, at times they would speak in sentences with big words, and other times they seemed like different people. But the general meaning and support from Gabriel's words came through and Harry refocused on her hand.

"Pain, pain fly away" She muttered softly. Nothing happened, but Harry wasn't about to give up. The five-year-old closed her eyes and thought about all the happy times in her like. The time when Gabriel and Sharyl made her a crown of flowers, the time they accidentally set Grandpa's beard on fire and they ran around the house with a howling grandpa after them, and in the deeper recess of her mind, Harry thought about the green eyed red hair lady who often sang to her in her dreams.

"Pain, pain fly away." Harry chanted and a small ball with silver tendrils formed on her hand. The girl gasped as she examined the magic healing her cuts in awe. Turning to the two fairies, the girl hugged both of them.

"Thank you Riel! Sharyl!" Harry exclaimed. Sharyl chucked as he petted Harry on her head.

"No problem princess." Gabriel laughed as he pinched Harry's cheek.

Harry swatted his hand away, and Gabriel laughed again, this time running his hand through her hair and messing it up before running. Harry growled before giving chase. Sharyl sighed before smiling softly and following them. As he walked, he noticed the two trampling over more garden flowers.

"Gabriel! Harry! Stop destroying more of the garden! We are supposed to fix it!" he yelled, now also giving chase to the two as the other comprehended his words and began running from Sharyl.

And another normal day passed.

A/N: Hey guys I'm back. I was feeling down throughout Christmas, but I had sufficient inspiration to update this chapter. Good news is that I have finished planning most of the plotline for this story, which is great. I have to say, time travel won't be happening for a while. I want Harry to know the evil Voldemort before going back, it will only make things so much better ^^. For anyone who is curious about Gabriel and Sharyl's age, just know that they are older than Harry, but are still considered children by fairy standards. Again, hope you enjoyed this. R&R.


	4. A Little Bird Told Me This

Standard Disclaimer: HP not mine but my fairies are

Method to My Madness

Chapter 4: A Little Bird Told Me This

"One, Two, Three …"

A white haired child leaned against a tree, his face turned inward, eyes closed. One might think that he was a normal child if not for the most unusual coloring of his hair and the pair of near transparent wings on his back.

"Four, Five Six …"

A white blur flashed by and ran behind another tree several paces away. Upon closer inspection, it can be seen that the white blur was another child with an identical appearance to the one counting. The child had an oddly calm but had an air of someone scheming. Slowly and quietly, the second child first gathered a some fallen tree branches near himself that still had leaves on them. Then he motioned towards another direction.

"Seven, Eight, Nine …"

This time, a black blur ran to the second child. It was a boy with a mop of very unruly black hair on his head. His green eyes shined with excitement as the second child motioned him closer. Unlike his two other companions, this child did not have wings, but instead had a peculiar scar on his forehead in the shape of a lightning bolt. When the black hair child was within distance, the second white hair child grabbed his friend in one hand and the branches in the other, and began beating his slightly strained wings in the air, lifting both children into the tree. Once secured on a relatively low hanging branch, he handed his green eyed friend several branches and motioned for him to hold it downward so that they would be somewhat disguised if one were to casually look up.

"TEN! Ready or not, here I come!"

The first child finished counting and looked around wide eyed searching for his friends. When he saw that there were no hints of his friends in the vicinity, the child began running around, searching every nook and cranny to see if his friends had hidden themselves there. When he ran precariously close to the tree where the other two children were perched, the black haired child let out a small giggle which was quickly covered by his companion. The child searching below stilled and looked around warily.

"I heard that." He announced.

Then, he proceeded to exaggerate his movements in his attempts to find his friends. Often "falling" and "stumbling" quite unglamorously. At this point a peal of laughter resounded from above the branches and the child looked up. The sun shone into his eyes but he could make out the light's reflection off white hair and spotted an unruly mass of black hair among the trees. It really didn't help them hide when the tree branches were also slightly shaking with their laughter.

"I see you. You guys are in the trees! Wait for me, I'm coming up and tagging both of you." The child began to exuberantly climb the tree as his friends realized that they had been spotted. Giving a surprised squeal, the black hair child scrambled to go upward. This caused the tree branch to be extremely unstable and his other companion held on to stabilize himself. Unaware of the instability, the black hair child continued to struggle in his attempt to climb up as their predator slowly made his way up the tree. After an especially frenzied attempt to move upward, the black hair child's footing slipped, causing them to give a yelp in surprise before falling. Immediately, his two other companions focused on him and started beating their wings to fly and catch the child before he fell.

Fortunately, there were some branches that slowed the fall and the two were able to catch their friend before he hit the ground. As the three landed slowly, the child in the middle pouted before glaring at his two companions.

"It's not fair." He complained. "you guys always have an advantage since you can fly."

The two other chuckled.

"Harry, we are fairy of course we can fly." One responded. The other nodded his agreement.

"You certainly _had_ an advantage when Sharyl lifted you up." The other began. "Don't give me that look Harry, I _know_ you can't get up that high unless you flew, since you can't, it was obvious that Sharyl lifted you up." He began nodding his head sagaciously. "I was only pretending to climb the tree because I gave you the benefit of doubt"

"Benefit of doubt?"

"You will understand it when you grow up."

Harry pouted again. The twins always kept her out of things that they thought was above her age level. It completely irked her. Just because she was young did not mean she was stupid. She huffed and got up, pointedly ignoring her two companions.

"Well, so long as everyone is safe right?" Sharyl asked rhetorically, trying to erase the awkwardness.

"Ha! I always knew if I acted stupid Harry will have _some_ sort of reaction. The Princess never ceases to be quite oblivious to the most obvious taunts." Riel bragged.

"Humph! And you are just a clumsy big meanie!" Harry retorted before stomping away.

"Awn, come on Harry, it is not respectable for a young man to get riled up over the smallest things." Knowing that she did not like to be treated as a kid, Sharyl tried to mollify Harry.

"I'm a young lady. I don't know why you and Pappy insist on me acting like a boy all the time. If you were going to do this in the first place, why _did_ you have to raise me as a girl disguised as a boy? Wouldn't it have been better to leave me ignorant and raise me as a boy anyways? It wasn't as if I knew any better when I was younger." Harry replied angrily

"You, are a young lady disguised as a young man, and it is for your own safety." Sharyl replied smoothly, "and it is much more reason to show that you are a bigger person than that over there." He jerked his thumb at Riel. Ignoring the indignant screech in response. Harry knew that Sharyl dodged the actual questions but didn't bother pushing it. After many attempts, she knew it was futile. Instead, she gave a tight smile and a long drawn out sigh.

"Well, I _suppose_ I can forgive you." She started.

"Like there is anything to forgive." Gabriel muttered under his breath.

"Did you say something Riel?" Harry turned to him, her tone threatening.

"No…" Riel sweat dropped.

"I thought so. I _guess_ I can forgive you," Harry continued, "If you teach me how to fly!" she finished.

Gabriel let out a loud groan.

"No, no, not this again. No more magic. Do you remember Gramp's last reaction when we tried to teach her? Healing was okay, but we _can't_ go through this again. Sharyl, you know what I mean." He turned to his sibling.

"Well, I suppose we were a bit inexperienced as teachers." He admitted sheepishly.

"No!" Gabriel exploded, "I am talking about how she almost blew up the kitchen when we tried to teach her fire magic, or that time she flooded the garden when we taught her water magic, and then wind, Merlin, don't even get me started on wind. It took forever to finish all the laundry!" He turned to Harry. "So no, we are _not_ teaching you anymore magic after all those debacles."

Harry furrowed her eyebrows are frowned.

"If you don't teach me, I am going to tell Pappy where all those missing cookies went, and that you tried to learn advanced magic when you are not supposed to which is why that favorite book of his is singed on the edges, and I won't help you prank the other fairy children, and I am never ever going to talk to you again. Both of you. If you don't teach me." Her tone was final.

Gabriel stared at her, slacked jawed. Sharyl's eyes were widened, but was otherwise not visibly shocked by her words.

"You will what?" Gabriel gaped.

"you heard me." Harry crossed her arms "Unless I have to add deafness to your list of deficiencies." She remarked snidely.

"Now that's just cruel, Princess."

Harry glared at him.

"Don't do this Harry." Sharyl warned.

Harry continued to glare.

"Gah! Fine! I'll teach you. Happy?" Gabriel gritted out as he pulled at his hair.

Harry's glare started to soften, and a small quirk appeared at her lips.

"Gabriel …" Sharyl looked at his twin, warning clear in his tone

"What can I do? She has … a way with words." He grumbled.

Sharyl snorted and looked at Harry.

"Harry, I suppose you get your wish." His tone was resigned, but the small smile on his face revealed that he wasn't really opposed to the idea.

At this point, Harry was positively beaming at the two of them.

"So?" She asked expectantly.

The twins glanced at each other.

"Well, although we did agree to teach you …" Gabriel began

"We don't know actually _how_ to teach you." Sharyl finished.

"Huh?"

"What I mean is, flying for fairies is instinctual. Furthermore, we have wings. Since you are a human, we aren't sure how to teach you to fly." Sharyl explained.

"If you really think about it, it's not really that hard though. We just drop Princess from somewhere till she learns how to fly." Gabriel said noncommittally.

"GABRIEL!" both Harry and Sharyl shouted at him exasperatedly.

"What? It was just an idea." He replied defensively.

Sharyl sighed and rubbed his head. "That still doesn't solve how Harry can fly though. We are biologically able to do so but Harry obviously doesn't have wings she can use."

"Well, if Princess doesn't have wings, that would mean we will have to resort to magic …" Gabriel trailed off before his eyes lit up with an idea. "The book Sharyl! We can use the book!" Gabriel yelled in excitement.

"No. We are _not_ using the book. It took so long last time to get Grandpa off your trail after you singed it."

"No, not that book. The _other_ one. The one we read before Gramps sealed it."

"Riel, you realized he sealed it for a reason?"

"Yeah but do you remember what we read? The last spell?"

"But that's dangerous!' Sharyl hissed.

"I don't mind." Harry interrupted. "I just want to learn how to fly. What is this about anyways? What book? How come I ever heard of it?"

Gabriel chuckled nervously, "Haha, well you see Princess, several cen –"

Sharyl quickly muffled him from speaking. "What he means, Harry, is that a long time ago, we read one of Grandpa's book and one of the spells in them could make you fly, but it is dangerous."

"Explain."

"Let's say if something went wrong, your body can turn against itself and cause you to be very sick. But if everything goes right, theoretically, you _should_ be able to fly and be able to control fairy magic better." Gabriel explained.

"Well then. What are we waiting for? I can't believe you guys didn't do this earlier."

"But the risks– "Sharyl protested.

"Are minimal." Harry finished. "I can take care of myself."

Seeing that the argument is going nowhere, Sharyl acquiesced to Harry's demands and began walking towards the small warehouse that was located behind the house. It was heavily warded and hidden, but with both Sharyl and Gabriel working on the wards, the trio quickly gained access into the small building.

It was dark inside. The air was dry, and smelled faintly of mold. Dust covered every perceivable surface, and it was hard to walk around without bumping into one object or another.

"Geez, when was the last time this place was cleaned?" Harry asked.

Gabriel opened his mouth to answer but paused when Sharyl sent him a warning look.

"A long time ago. We haven't needed anything from here for a while." Gabriel whispered.

"Try not to touch or break anything." Sharyl moved past the two and kneeled by a small wooden chest. Whispering something under his breath, a small click resounded in the dark room and Sharyl let out a relived sigh.

"Ah, Grandpa really needs to update his passwords." Sharyl smiled slightly as he carefully opened the lid and reached inside. He pulled out a medium sized black book. It was leather bound, and the edges were worn. Sharyl held it reverently in his hands and he motioned for the group to head out. As they stepped outside the boundaries of the wards, Sharyl handed the book to Harry as he reworked the wards with Gabriel. Harry looked at the book in her hand. It seemed so plain, but even as a relatively untrained human, Harry could feel magic pulsing her hands.

"Come along." Sharyl urged as he headed near the village boundary. "The magic in the village will clash with the spell if we perform it inside. We have to go outside for this to work. Quickly, the faster we finish the spell, the less chance of us getting caught." Taking a breath, Sharyl moved across the village boundary and disappeared as he exited. Gabriel sent a concerned look towards Harry before exiting too. Meanwhile, Harry looked at the place they both disappeared and prepared herself. This would be the first time she left the village ever since Gabriel and Sharyl took her to Pappy's house. They told her that her house had burned down and that her parents died in the fire. Going outside was a frightening prospect. Gabriel and Sharyl had often told her horrible stories about the outside to scare her. But by this point, Harry had figured out most of it was fiction. Clearing her head of her thoughts, Harry confidently strode through the boundary line.

Gabriel and Sharyl were both waiting for at the other side. Upon her appearance, they both smiled and continued onward. Sharyl led them to a small opening a bit far from the fairy ring, but close enough to return quickly after they were done.

"Alright Harry, before we start I have to explain to you the specifics of the spell." Sharyl began. Harry nodded and made a noise of agreement.

"So the thing is – "

"Do you want to be our sister?" Gabriel blurted out. Sharyl shot an annoyed look at Gabriel at his interruption.

"Huh?" was Harry's intelligent reply.

"This is a blood spell. Essentially, we are making a pact of blood to officially adopt you as our sister. Once the blood has been exchanged, you would take on some of our abilities, such as flying, to a lesser extent. This process is permanent, and if your body happen to reject our blood, then the blood exchanged will turn on you. The process itself is simple but the result is unpredictable. That is the danger." Sharyl slowly explained.

Tears prickled at Harry's eyes as she looked at them. The boys seemed lost at her expression and looked at each other in confusion. They were abruptly pulled down by Harry who hugged them very tightly.

"Thank you." Harry whispered. "I can be your real family."

"What are you talking about, we were always your family." Gabriel grumbled halfheartedly. Harry let out a chuckle before letting them go.

"I'm ready." she announced.

Sharyl nodded and cracked open the book. The spell they had was at the end. Quickly memorizing the incantation, Sharyl took each person's hand and made her thin cut across the palm using magic. Then, he did the same to himself and motioned for them to link hands. Harry winced at the contact, but kept a determined face. Sharyl began incanting the spell.

"The stars be our witness, I bind my blood to thee and thy blood to mine. The fates be our guide and tie our threads. This pact is made in the name of the sun, and shall continue to eternity so long as the moon rise. Hoc enim vinculum est in æternum, fiat."

At the final word, Harry could feel the magic rise in the air. The sensation in her hand felt strange, unfamiliar, but not uncomfortable. She could feel her own blood flow out and Sharyl's and Gabriel's blood in her hand. Their magic was warm, and had the same tickling sensation when she was first healed by the two of them.

The three stood there, unaware of the time, focused on their magic binding them to each other. When finally, the sensation ceased, Harry once again pulled the two into a hug.

"My brothers." She whispered, testing the word like a child would test unknown water.

"Sister." The two replied as they returned the hug.

After reacquainting themselves and making sure everyone was alright after the spell, Harry sniffed the air, her heightened senses warning her something was wrong. So far, there wasn't really any physical change in Harry. Gabriel had observed that she had gold flecks in her eyes but that was it. Sharyl hypothesized that it was because she still had the glamour on. Personally, since she didn't have a mirror on her, Harry could only tell that her senses had been heightened. Not to the degree that Gabriel and Sharyl's senses were at, but definitely much better than an average human's. Her hands itched to start practicing magic. Meanwhile, her two brothers were looking around the forest warily.

"The birds are too quiet." Gabriel muttered.

"Not just the birds, everything is too quiet." Sharyl added.

"And that smell in the air … look it's a fire!" Gabriel exclaimed, pointing at the orange glow in the distance and the smoke in the air. Harry gasped with horror when she realized that the fairy ring was located in the direction of the fire.

Unbeknownst to them, several students had been in the forbidden forest that night. Overconfident in their abilities, they had dared each other to wander deep into the forbidden forest. One was especially close to the fairy ring when he encountered an Acromantula. Unprepared and very scared, the student fired several random spells before fleeing. One of the spells casted was incendio, and the dry twigs on the forest ground quickly caught on fire, spreading it to nearby trees and other branches on the ground until it was surrounding the fairy ring.

"Quick, we have to get back in, I can see them starting the teleportation for the village. We have to be completely inside to transport ourselves safely." Sharyl shouted.

The three ran for the fairy ring. The heat was unbearable, and each person had to carefully step around the ground, avoiding obstacles and keeping watch of falling branches from the trees that were burning. Gabriel was the first one to cross over back in. Harry, who was in last place, stumbled before regaining her footing. Seeing her struggle, Sharyl ran back to her, concerned.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Harry nodded quickly. "Yeah, you can go ahead, I will be right behind you." Sharyl accepted her response and resumed heading towards the fairy ring before disappearing as he crossed boundary. Harry began running again and winced when she stepped on her left foot. She had sprained her ankle when she fell, and every time she tried to run, pain shot up her leg. Taking short, labored, breaths, Harry half limped half dragged herself as fast as possible towards the fairy ring, gritting her teeth and trying to ignore the pain. She had just reached outside the boundary when she felt the magic shift as the teleportation began. Panicking, Harry lunged towards the boundary, her arm touching the barrier before she felt the whole world shift around her and she blacked out.

~..~..~

Harry awoke with a gasp. She was in a gray, dark room. The air considerably colder than the burning forest. She was in a bed, the sheets were made of coarse linen and did little to keep the chill out. Slowly sitting up, Harry examined her surroundings. The room was very small, with only one bed which was the one Harry was residing in. The room had very sparse furniture, only one wardrobe, a small desk, and a chair, all of which were clearly very old. There was a door at the corner of the room and a very narrow and small window at the far wall. It was still nighttime, though streaks of light hailing a new day could be seen at the horizon.

The door opened and a pale woman wearing a gray dress stepped through. Her face was gaunt, and signs of wrinkles showed. She had her hair stiffly pinned up into a tight bun at the top of her head, streaks of gray among the black. Her beady eyes were dark and expressionless as she examined the child on the bed. The glasses she wore seemed too big for her face overall and her lips were set in a thin line.

"I see you are awake." She stated stiffly.

"Where am I?" Harry asked.

"The London Orphanage of course." The woman replied condescendingly, "The place where miscreants like you who are underage and have no identification are brought when found by the police."

A/N: This is getting so fun to write. As always, reviews are welcomed. I eat cookies and flames alike. ^^. Also I don't really proofread my chapters since I don't have time, so apologies if there are any grammatical mistakes.


	5. Mad? I Think Not

Disclaimer: le sigh …. Más sighs … no mine

Method to My Madness

Chapter 5: Mad? I Think Not

Harry stared woefully down at the cup full of gruel. Lady Edith was always cross when any children failed to finish their gruel. But the gruel was so … grueling. Slowly, Harry raised the wooden spoon and stuffed the slosh into her mouth, pushing down the immediate urge to spit it out. Lady Edith was the cook at the orphanage. She had a plump figure, and hair that was not unlike the brown coloring of a common chicken. Harry noted that she had a horrible habit of gnashing her yellowed teeth when serving gruel, and briefly wondered if it was a common habit for the people in this land. Despite a name that meant happiness, Lady Edith was not a happy person. It seemed to Harry that whether one finished their gruel or not, Lady Edith was always cross. She only became angrier if it was apparent that one had leftovers. In order to penalize their behavior, Lady Edith often gave out less than the standard portion to the poor soul who didn't finish their gruel. Not that Harry thought anyone would complain if that were the case. Feeling stares prickling at her back, she quickly shoveled the gruel and washed her bowl at the sink. Without a backward glance, Harry fled the kitchen from the stares of all the children and made her way to the library.

It had been a few weeks since Harry arrived in this strange place they called "London". Matron Agnes, or Lady Agnes as she preferred to be called, had explained the ground rules of the orphanage when Harry woke up. It was quite simple really, there was only five rules.

The Matron is always right

There is to be no arguing or whining with the Matron

Rise at 6:00 am, Sleep at 9:00 pm

You work for your stay

If there are any complaints, look at Rule 1 and Rule 2

Harry thought it was a bit unreasonable, but the Matron _seemed_ like a reasonable person _maybe_ and she could probably try to convince her to change her mind. Right after she had explained the rules to her, Harry made an attempt to understand this unfamiliar place.

~.~.~.~

"What does this orphanage do?" Harry asked.

"Well, well, well child. Tell me are you daft?" The matron sneered.

Harry shook her head. "No mam, I just never heard of an orphanage."

"Humph, so you are just an ignorant street rat. Fine. I shall enlighten you. Like I said, the police found your tattered hide in the street. You have no identification, nor family since there hasn't been any new missing person report, so it has been concluded that you are an orphan. And you are _all alone_."

"But I do have a family!" Harry protested.

"Oh really? Do tell me, where are they? If you do, why haven't they come for you?" she mocked.

"There was a fire …" Harry replied in a small voice.

"Oh too bad, are you crying for mommy and daddy then? Well I can tell you this. With the state you were found in, they are probably dead!" Lady Agnes laughed mercilessly.

"No! you can't say that! They had the teleportation spell going. I just couldn't reach it in time. They will be here soon, I know they will come for me and I will leave and never come back!" Harry retorted hotly.

 _Slap_.

"Imbecile! What was rule number two? Have you already forgotten what I said? Spells, teleportation, magic? That is preposterous. Only freaks believe in things such as magic." She spat out the word hatefully. The place where she slapped stung, and Harry winced at the impact but did not retaliate. Instead, an idea began to form in her mind.

"No. It's real! I can show you. Look!" Harry held up her hand to her face and tried to concentrate on the bright healing magic that Gabriel and Sharyl taught her. But in her weakened state from the failed teleportation, she could not draw on her magic reserves at all. Harry gasped when she realized that no warm glow was going to come to her hands. She stared sorrowfully at the matron.

Lady Agnes sneered. "So now you are a liar as well." Ignoring the child, she stalked to the wardrobe and rummaged out a gray trouser and a shirt before throwing it at Harry.

"This should fit. Hurry along and change out of those filthy garments. I believe school starts in 30 minutes, and you obviously need to learn _something_ to stop being so daft. The schoolhouse is next to the main hall. Now chivvy along!" With a whirl of her skirt, she walked out of Harry's room, leaving it in the same state of calm coldness before she had arrived.

The shirt and trousers were a bit baggy, but Harry managed to pull the trouser up by stuffing her shirt in. As she walked out the door, she caught a faint reflection of herself in the window. Her short hair was messy, and the shirt definitely looked very big. Harry likened herself to a drowned rat, except she didn't drown. But she certainly felt like one.

~.~.~.~

Much to Harry's relief, no one seemed to have noticed the new student in the schoolhouse. Many of the students were in their own groups and were quite rowdy even when the teacher was talking. In fact, the volume had gotten so loud that Lady Agnes stormed in. She took in the situation and muttered something about British compulsory education instead of child labor before shrilly screeching for everyone to be quiet. Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly as some would say since her voice was quite high, everyone in the immediate vicinity stopped their activities and looked at the matron in fear. With all the attention on her, Lady Agnes threatened that she would raise the curfew and decrease recess time if she ever saw a repeat of this situation. Naturally, everyone remained calm until she left before bursting out with gossips and plans when Lady Agnes walked out of ear range. With all the commotion, Harry faded into the background and read the book in a quiet corner by herself instead of socializing. The next day was when the nightmare started.

The teacher was the first one who noticed the new addition to the class. She had called Harry up to introduce herself. Harry had smiled brightly at the crowd of curious faces, and loudly announced that her name was Harriet, and that she was from a fairy village, and that a failed teleportation spell made her end up here and that her family was on the way.

She was met with silence. But then a boy with a pudgy face pointed at her and jeered.

"What a freak! He thinks he's a girl!"

"Fairies? What, are we two? Magic doesn't exist." Another one shouted.

"What a weirdo."

"I bet he's going to say he can fly next?"

"Liar, liar, pants on fire."

As the students became more rambunctious, the teacher stood and shouted.

"Silence!"

The children immediately quieted down, but continued to give Harry mocking looks. Harry was close to tears. It was incomprehensible to her how these people could be so rude. The fairies at the village, whether they were adult or children, always treated her well even though she was a human. So how could her fellow human treat her this way?

The teacher looked at Harry and pulled her to the side.

"Now boy. You know it is bad to lie. Say your real name and don't talk about anymore funny things such as magic. Magic doesn't exist." She said sternly.

Harry gasped. Magic didn't exist? But how could that be possible? Magic was everywhere, could they not see? Harry attempted to draw on her magic only to find that she couldn't. She could feel it there, but it was like the connection was broken. Feeling quite alone and definitely scared for the first time since coming to this "London", Harry realized that there was a possible chance that Gabriel, Sharyl, and Pappy would never find her here.

The teacher cleared her throat.

"I believe our new student have another announcement." She declared before pushing Harry forward.

"My name is Harry." Harry announced weakly.

Murmurs began to grow in the crowd again, but this time the teacher did not allow it to grow. Nudging Harry into the sea of students, the teacher began her lesson. Much to Harry's dismay, she was unable to get a seat at the back of the class. Instead, she was forced to sit up front where she could feel stares lingering on her person. The uncomfortable experience lasted all throughout class and Harry finally breathed a sigh in relief during the recess period. She walked tiredly to a patch of grass at the edge before sitting down and observing the children before her.

"Hey freak, what are you looking at?" It was the pudgy boy who first called her out earlier. Harry stared at him, silent.

"I said freak! What are you looking at?" The boy shouted, this time more menacingly. The others behind him laughed.

"I'm not looking at anything. I was just thinking." Harry replied nervously.

"Oh look, the freak can think." One of the other boys snickered.

"I bet he can't do anything else though." The other replied snidely.

"Hey Donald, I thought you said we were doing something fun. This isn't entertaining though." A guy complained from the back.

"Shut up Peter! I will make this fun." The pudgy one, now known as Donald, sneered before turning back to Harry. "Oh this will be very fun." He muttered darkly before shoving Harry to the ground.

Harry quickly decided that being pushed and shoved around wasn't fun at all. She tried to fight back, but a lone boy fighting a group of boys didn't really work. In the end, Harry was restrained by two guys who was holding her arms back while Donald viciously kicked her stomach. One blow was particularly harsh and it caused Harry to spit out blood.

"What are you going to do about it Harry?" he taunted.

Harry looked at him hatefully, and tried to lunge at him, only to be pulled back by the two goons who got her arms.

"Ah, looking scary Harry. But you can't touch me." Donald laughed at her. At this point, the other boys started joining in.

"Loony freak."

"Fag"

"Monster"

"Hi, my name is Harry, and I'm a freak. Boohoo." Another mocked her before punching her face. Eventually, the two holding her up got tired of holding her. Instead, they threw her on the ground and the group descended like a pack of vultures kicking at Harry and mocking her in condescending terms. Crying silently, Harry curled up into a ball with her arms over her head, hoping for it all to end. Why were they doing this to her? She never did anything mean to them. Were all humans this awful? Harry wished that she was back at the village with Gabriel and Sharyl. They would never allow this to happen. When she was younger, she had wanted to visit the humans once she had learned that she was actually human, not fae. To her horror, she realized that the horrible stories that Gabriel and Sharyl had told her were true. Granted, there was no eight legged monster eating her, humans were by far more horrible than the worst story that they had told.

Wincing at each kick that was delivered, Harry pleaded with the group to stop. Her plea fell on deaf ears as the boys continued beating at her, cruel smirks firmly planted on their faces. When they started feeling the drain of using so much force, Donald lessened the beating and the other guys followed suit.

"Well, that should be enough to introduce him to the orphanage." He announced.

"Now listen here. Old lady Agnes probably lectured her stupid five rules all again, but here, _I_ make the real rules. If you ever lie or try to grab attention again, you will be asking for it." He muttered darkly. They walked away as the recess bell rang in the distance. Class was resuming, but Harry could care less.

That night after dinner, Lady Agnes pulled Harry aside and reprimanded her for her behavior in skipping class and her "state of filth." Harry tried to tell her about Donald, but Lady Agnes only rolled her eyes and replied, "Child, remember rule 2?" For her indiscretion, Lady Agnes assigned Harry to wash dishes for two weeks and to do an entrance sweep every morning. Gritting her teeth, Harry accepted the punishment and went to do the dishes.

After that day, Harry increased her attempts to avoid Donald and his gang. But despite her efforts, her avoidance only seemed to incense the bully to go after her. Donald had gleefully announced that he had made a new game called "Harry Hunting" in which the general members of his group attempted to catch or corner Harry somewhere before beating her up. Due to all the altercations, Harry had permanent bruises spotted across her skin. It was hard to change clothes and shower.

Thankfully, Lady Agnes was convinced that Harry was a freak after the talk of magic in her room and the schoolhouse. Therefore, she made certain that Harry bathed away from the other children in a rundown bathroom outside the orphanage. It used to be part of the orphanage before it got remodeled. The matron never got around to tearing it down, and it still works, so it was where Harry spent the nights trying to scrub all the dirt on her skin from being pushed onto the ground.

After many trials and errors, Harry had found that the most effective place to avoid Donald and his gang was the small but decent library in the old wing of the orphanage. Surprisingly, the place had a lot of books, but was rumored to be haunted. The previous matron, Lady Agnes' sister, was a bibliophile, and kept an extended collection of a various range of subjects in the library. Harry found her to be a very intelligent woman based on her collection and wondered how she and Lady Agnes could possibly be related. Tragically however, she died in an accident. It was said that her spirit haunted the library, and whenever Lady Agnes tried to demolish it in the past, the construction worker's equipment would either go missing or stopped working. Students who came too near found the place to be creepy, and rumors of a ghost started to spread until everyone eventually left the place alone.

In her free time, Harry often wandered into the library to read. Lady Agnes never really looked after the kids. After school and chores were done, everyone was free to do as they pleased before curfew as long as they did not cause any trouble. Often, Harry snuck in during the afternoons to read in the fading sunlight. Other times, Harry stared at the sky, thinking of home with Gabriel and Sharyl's laughter ringing in her ears.

Unlike most other children, Harry found the library a comforting place. The ceiling was high with long paneled windows on the walls. Harry liked to sit by the windows and think. The windows faced the back of the orphanage, where there was a forest so no one would ever see her. It quickly became a safe haven for Harry.

It was on an afternoon like any other when Harry heard someone screaming for help.

"Help! Help me please! It hurts!"

The cries were faint, but Harry was all to disturbed to think that there may be someone in the same situation as her. She followed the voice around to the side of the orphanage. It was Donald and his gang again. They were making a racket near the back of the orphanage, which was probably how Harry could hear the voice even from the library window. As she observed them, she noticed that Donald and his gang weren't hitting a person, they were hitting a snake that was caught in a webbed minnow trap.

"They are going to kill me! Help!" The poor creature was screaming. Harry was shocked that no one heard. If they did, no one cared. She sighed. She was having a pretty good streak of avoiding Donald, but she saw herself in that creature and she vowed that she wasn't going to let Donald's cruelty go any further.

"Hey! Stop it!" She shouted.

Donald paused and turned around, his eyes lighting up in malice as he saw the newcomer.

"Well look who's here. The freak trying to become a hero." He stomped on the snake's tail and the creature gave a pained cry.

"Stop it!" Harry repeated.

"Well what are you going to do about it Harry?" The boy taunted as he advanced on her.

"Like the freak can do anything." Another remarked.

"Harry Hunting anyone?"

The group grinned nastily at her. Harry gritted her teeth and clenched her fist. They had no right to hurt that creature. These humans were awful, terrible, people. They picked on things smaller than them without provocation, their cruelty was endless and for a moment, Harry wished with all her being that they would be hurt like how they hurt her. One boy leered especially close to her, and Harry scrunched her eyebrows before shoving at him.

"GO AWAY!" She shouted. The boy flew back several meters and groaned. The other boys looked at her in surprise.

"Freak."

"Monster."

The whispers spread like wildfire. Harry blinked, surprised at her own power. She had felt magic running through her, but she had not consciously drawn on her magic at all.

"You freak!" Donald yelled as he aimed a punch at her.

"No!" Harry dodged and pushed at the oncoming figure. Again, magic traveled through her and Donald ended up several meters away.

"Hey, aren't we close to the library?" One of the guys whispered.

"It's the library ghost helping the freak!" Another one exclaimed.

"I bet they just gather together to do their freakish stuff." Donald jeered when he got to his feet.

"I'll be back for this Harry. Don't you forget it." He shouted before running off with his gang.

Once they were out of sight, Harry slumped down on the ground, adrenaline still rushing in her veins. She attempted to draw out magic, but again found the empty connection.

 _At least I know I can still do magic I guess._

As Harry tried to think of all the ways that she could try to draw magic again, a distressed noise caught her attention, and she quickly got up and moved over to the snake.

It was a very pretty snake she decided. Its scales were black, but at different angles, it looked dark blue and even silver when the light is being reflected. Red, angry cuts marred its skin, and Harry hoped that it will heal without a scar. Still unable to use healing magic, Harry could only carefully untangle the snake from the minnow trap. The thin metal wires were all around the snake, cutting into its skin, and it took all of Harry's concentration to untangle it without hurting the snake. During this time, the creature was still and quiet. Harry almost feared that it was dead if it wasn't from the occasional distressed noise that it made. Harry quickly carried the snake to the loo by the outer bathroom and carefully cleaned the wounds with warm water. Then using a spare towel, Harry carried the creature to the library and set it by the fire as she searched for books on taking care of reptiles. Most of the methods required iodine, and other chemicals that Harry didn't have. She could only tear a strip of cloth from the towel to make a bandage that was carefully wound around the snake. Then, once she made sure the bandage with secure, she carried the creature under her shirt and ran for her room. It wasn't a very big snake. Harry estimated that it may be 75cm long with a 4 cm diameter. She was able to pass by others with relatively no trouble. Since she didn't have many supplies to work with, Harry decided that monitoring it would be the best way to keep it safe. Reptiles required warmth, so Harry gently snuggled with the snake as she slept, making sure to keep it under covers, but not suffocating.

The arrival of morning was as always, heralded by the bell. Harry groggily opened her eyes to meet two inquisitive silver eyes staring back at her.

" _Hello human."_

Harry blinked and stared again. The snake stared back, not blinking.

" _You can talk."_ She stated bluntly.

The snake laughed, or it seemed to. It was a short hissing noise.

" _Yes, I can talk."_ It sounded amused, _"Though I certainly did not expect to sssee or meet a human ssspeaker. I thank you for your rescue and care."_

" _But you are a snake … I must be going crazy."_ Harry stated. She was still stuck on the fact that an animal talked to her. The snake gave her a strange look.

" _You are a bit ssslow. But I sssupposse all humansss are. You are speaking in parssseltongue."_

" _Hey! I'm not slow. I'm reading two levels ahead of the class!"_ Harry responded indignantly. " _What's parseltongue anyways?"_

" _Hmm, simply put, sssnake language."_

" _Ahhh, that's new. I have ever heard of snake language. Though I suppose it makes sense given that humans have their own language… wait, how am I speaking this?"_

The snake made a motion that Harry thought was equivalent to a shrug.

" _From what I know it's hereditary. Maybe one of your parentsss were a parssseltongue?"_

Harry looked down sadly. " _I wouldn't know, both of my parents passed away. You see, I had a family after they were gone, but due to a teleportation spell, I ended up in this place."_

" _My condolencesss, child. In return for your care, I offer you my companionssship. It ssseems that I am also ssstuck in an unfavorable sssituation."_

" _What? Did you end up in a bad teleportation spell too?"_

" _No. I was too curiousss for my own good. My den livesss deep underground. We have alwaysss been warned by our mother not to wander, lessst we get lossst. It ssseems that it isss what happened to me."_

" _Oh, that's sad. But I know how you feel. I went outside the village boundaries with my brothers, which is one of the reasons why I'm here right now."_

The snake was about to reply why a shrill voice cut into the air.

"Harry! You're late! Get down here, right now!" Lady Agnes yelled. Giving a surprised yelp, Harry jumped up and tumbled out of bed, pushing the snake out in the process. _The snake gave a hiss of displeasure and Harry quickly looked it over for injuries._

" _I'm sorry, I was very surprised. Are you alright?"_

" _Yesss, I will be fine. Pleassse avoid being so clumsssy next time."_ It hissed.

" _Wait let me check your bandages."_ Harry deftly removed the bandages to reveal that the fresh wounds had already closed into thin lines.

" _You are already healed."_ Harry murmured, surprised.

" _Hmmm, I guess I heal fast."_ The snake replied. Harry nodded at the answer before lifting the snake and allowing it to wrap around her waist like a belt.

" _I'm afraid I will have to put the shirt over you. If anyone else sees you they may try to take you away."_

" _I can deal with it."_ The snake replied before closing its eyes. Harry stared at her reptilian companion before suddenly saying, " _Hi, I'm Harriet. And although I look like this, I'm actually a girl."_

The snake didn't give a twitch. Instead, it lazily opened its eyes.

" _Yesss child, I know you are a girl. No need to ssstate the obviousss. No petty glamour can fool my nossse."_

Harry frowned, confused. " _Wait, how did you know about the glamour?"_

The snake gave her another "you're slow" look before huffing.

" _My name is Thanosss."_ It hissed before closing its eyes again. No further explanations were offered and Harry sighed.

A/N: Hmm, this chapter took a darker turn than expected but hey, Harry met Thanos! And if anyone thinks Harry is stupid right now, yeah, she kind of is. She has been raised by fairies, so she doesn't have "human common sense" but Thanos will watch her back now. She will get really smart really soon so look forward to it. If anyone can guess who Thanos' mother is, I will give you a cookie. Again, hope you enjoy. Please R&R.


	6. And Down the Rabbit Hole We Go

Standard Disclaimer: I'm not JKL, or I would be on vacation everyday not in school. Thus it follows that Harry Potter is not mine

Method to My Madness

Chapter 6: And Down the Rabbit Hole We Go

Harry quickly discovered that these humans were very strange. From her perspective, the human society placed many complex rules and unnecessary restraints in place only to complain about the restraints that they have put on themselves. It reminded her of a quote she read from the philosopher Rousseau, "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains."

The change in behavior of Lady Agnes towards the children when prospective parents visited the orphanage never ceased to fascinate her. One minute she was harshly berating a child, the next she would be coddling the same child. Harry avoided most of the adults that visited. They usually came in pairs. The man would be stoic, cold, with few words if any at all while the woman would chatter on aimlessly to keep a light conversation. It was apparent to Harry that neither of them wanted to be here. The man kept looking at his watch, while the woman examined the children as if she was in a boutique looking through clothes - yet they acted their parts as perfect parents impeccably.

Another thing that perplexed Harry was Lady Agnes' behavior when the inspections officer came around. It was well known that Lady Agnes liked to flaunt the absolute power she had in the orphanage. However, when an occasional inspection officer came, Lady Agnes became quite demure and polite as opposed to her usual domineering self. On those days, no one called Harry names and if anyone caused trouble when an officer was inspecting, they would receive great punishment later. Harry had come to like those days very much. The inspection officer was a nice man who like to tell jokes. However, despite his benign humor, Lady Agnes always showed disdain towards him behind his back. Once the officer was gone, Lady Agnes always went on a tirade about the government sticking their noses into places they had no business sticking it into.

At first, Harry did not understand why Lady Agnes would listen to the inspection officer if she didn't like him. But in her reading, it became apparent to Harry that human society functioned quite differently from the fairy village. People liked to have their own property, but complained when they pay for things such as property tax. Some people advocated for sharing money around, while others kept it tightly pocketed in their own pockets. The double standard was absurd. When she told her opinions to Thanos, he only shook his head and gave a hissy laugh. He told her that the snakes have no concepts of ownership. They took what they needed and left the rest for nature to regenerate or other creatures to use. Harry thought it was a rather smart idea and told him it was very nice of him to not hog everything. Thanos nodded sagely to her comment.

The human concept of time was also arbitrary. Unlike the fair village where a new day was signaled by the arrival of the sun, midnight was considered the beginning of the day, yet people referred to it as "last night". Harry thought humans were quite silly to contradict themselves like that. Their customs were very confusing.

During this time, the harassment from Donald did not stop, but Harry certainly got better at avoiding him. One time when Donald's harassment went too far, and many of the younger children were hurt. At this point, Harry was greatly irked at his immaturity and idiocy so she conspired with Thanos to get revenge. She was going to be just like Dante from Alexander Dumas' "Count of Monte Cristo" and execute her plan perfectly. Thanos suggested that she kill him and be done with it, but Harry thought that killing him would be going too far, and Harry wasn't old enough to pull it off without getting caught _._ Though she certainly wouldn't mind if someone _else_ killed Donald. But in general killing was bad and Harry tried to avoid it. That wasn't to say however, that she couldn't use some _other_ method of revenge.

The scene was set perfectly. Harry took one week to have Thanos hunt for various rats and rodents around the orphanage, then proceeded to hide them in her room until the right time. When she had enough animals and everyone had gone to sleep, Harry quietly and carefully snuck out of her room and into the regular sleeping quarters for the children. She placed the dead animals around Donald's sleeping form left Thanos on his bed for a good measure.

When morning came around, an ear piercing scream was heard. Although no one really knew what happened, it was said that Donald ranted on about dead rats and snakes on his bed to Lady Agnes. It was well known to most children that although Lady Agnes did not take whining lightly, she favorited Donald and his gang because according to her, they were "angels". The incident itself however, was rather curious. When Lady Agnes and Donald arrived back into his room, there was no trace of any animals on his bed. Furthermore, Donald's roommate who was groggily awakened by Donald's high pitched scream reported that he saw no animals at all.

At this point, Donald indeed got an earful from Lady Agnes. During breakfast, Donald jumped furiously when he spotted Harry and accused her of being the perpetrator. To which Harry only looked on confusedly and asked Donald if he was feeling alright. Before a fight could start however, Lady Edith intervened and Donald was sent off to eat alone.

When the recess period came around, Donald predictably tried to single her out by pushing her to the side of the school.

~.~.~.~

"Hey freak! I know you were the one who did it, and you are going to _pay_." Donald sneered menacingly as he made his hands into fists.

"What do you mean Donald? Are you okay? I did hear a girl screaming this morning but I didn't know it was you." Harry replied with mock concern, still keeping a confused look on her face.

"Shut up!" Donald spluttered, "I DO NOT sound like a girl!"

Raising his hand, he punched Harry in the face. Harry grunted at the contact, but did not give him the satisfaction of making a sound. The metallic tang of blood filled her mouth and Harry spat the blood out.

"Come on Donald, can't take a joke?" She taunted. Donald growled before he lunged at her again. Ready for his movement this time, and easily evading Donald's much larger form. Now extremely mad, Donald feinted a left and charged on at Harry. Not expecting his move, Harry was taken off guard and Donald tackled her to the ground.

"This will teach you not to mess with me." He sneered as he repeatedly pummeled Harry's face. Harry tried to push the boy off herself, but Donald, with his bulkier stature and larger form remained stubbornly on top of her as he continued to punch her. Eventually, Harry gave up the physical effort and instead willed her magic to respond. As always, the magic remained at the tip of her sense, but Harry was unable to draw it out.

Finally getting tire of punching her face, Donald drew a sigh before a leering light appeared in his eyes.

"Well Harry, since you dared to humiliate me, I should be a good friend and return the favor in full don't you think?" Donald snarled. "Good thing the boys thought up about this trick, I never thought I would use it but guess I was wrong." He chuckled darkly.

Clumsily, Donald began fumbling at her clothes, making the motion to take them up. Ice cold fear clawed at Harry's heart as she realized his intentions. With renewed vigor, Harry increased her struggling.

"Damn you! Keep still!" Donald shouted.

Harry shook her head furiously and began to scream. Reacting swiftly, Donald clamped a sweaty hand onto Harry's mouth effectively muffling the sound. Harry thrashed around as violently as she could. She felt powerless, it was the first time she encountered real fear. Even in her previous encounters with Donald, she had only felt defiance and contempt for the overweight bully. Right now things were definitely spiraling out of control, and Harry realized that she may have bitten off more than she could chew. Growing tired of her struggles, Donald used his other hand to pull up at Harry's shirt collar. Again, Harry attempted to call her power, but the magic remained dormant.

Tears leaked out of Harry's eyes. Even more than Donald's attempt at stripping her, the failure of the magic to respond was a greater betrayal to Harry. As Harry closed her eyes and slowly resigned herself to whatever humiliation Donald was planning, a gust of cold air blasted above her and Harry felt Donald's weight off her person. Opening her eyes and blinking confusedly, Harry looked around only to find a stranger standing a few paces away. Donald's form was crumpled and unconscious on the ground. The stranger stood in the shadows, but Harry could make out long black hair and clothes made of fine material. A pair of heterochromatic eyes met hers, one glowing eerily red, the other, a softer silver.

"What a surprise it is to see such young ones committing such atrocity in the middle of the day." Although his lips didn't seem to move, his voice carried clearly across the air. "Though I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised. After all, they _are_ only human." His tone was patronizing, his disdain for humans clearly shining though. "You there," He called to Harry, "Make sure to be stronger next time. It is always good to see how the weak become strong in their desperation." He smiled cruelly before turning around. Harry laid on the ground, unmoving as she processed his words. The aftereffect of being assaulted was still fresh on her mind. But the way that Donald was pushed off … that gust of wind she felt … magic. It was the only conclusion. That man knew magic.

Pushing her current tired physical state to the back of her mind, Harry stared at where the man disappeared to off the school boundaries. Without a second thought, she broke into a run in his direction. At first she was running through the empty alleyways behind the building, going on blindly until she caught a flash of dark hair in the slits of sunlight that shined from above. Following his trail, Harry ran through the narrow alley in pursuit of his shadow, but she was eventually met with a dead end. Harry glared, frustrated at the wall in front of her. She was so close. The unanswered questions she had about her unresponsive magic, this new and strange land, her village … Harry was convinced that the man would have been able to answer her questions.

Growing agitated, Harry began pounding at the wall. To her surprise, instead of feeling the painful hardness of the bricks, Harry's fists were met with no resistance, temporarily tipping Harry off balance as she stumbled forward _through_ the wall. Harry found herself in another alley, darker than the one she was in a second ago. The sky was much darker as opposed to the earlier sunlight. Harry looked behind her, and instead of seeing the alley trail where she followed the man, she saw a wall. A wall looking suspiciously like the one that Harry wanted to take her frustration out on. Tentatively, Harry reached out a hand to touch the bricks and watched in fascination as the bricks seemed to ripple around her hand, allowing her hand to go through.

Taking a note of her location, and using a moment to gather her bearings, Harry looked around critically at her new environment. The alley was a bit wider than the narrow ones she had been running through. There were stores lined along the walls, though their windows were dark and their wares were unseen through the windows. Harry wandered down cautiously down the alley, extremely conscious about the rather disheveled state of her clothing after the fight with Donald. There weren't many people in the alley, but the ones Harry saw wore something akin to a style between a cape and a gown. _Robes_ , her mind supplied. These people also had hoods over their faces. For the most part, they ignored each other, and Harry walked down as inconspicuously as possible, trying to draw no attention to herself. When she felt herself being examined, it was a quick look before a sneer of disgust or a disinterested stare that quickly flitted elsewhere. Harry ducked down her head and turned around, determined to get out of the alley before something bad happened. She could feel the magic in the air, but with her current inability to use magic, Harry did not feel safe. Harry scurried down the alley, resolutely staring at the ground. In fact, Harry was so focused on her feet that she didn't notice anything when she ran into a cart full of potatoes. Falling down, Harry blinked as potatoes rolled around her. She gasped when the edge of dark blue robes came into her view. She followed the robes up until she was met with the stern face of a woman. She was young, perhaps in her early twenties and she had dark hair pulled into a bun. Although her face didn't reveal anger, there was a small frown. Harry shot up and began apologizing profusely as she quickly picked up the potatoes around her and placed them back into cart. The woman's faced softened but she kept her stern demeanor.

"What is a child like you doing in _these_ parts?" She asked.

Harry shuffled uneasily on her feet. "Well mam, I was at the orphanage … an-and then there was this man, he saved me and I tried to follow him, but …er… I found a wall then I came, and …"

"Wait, you are an orphan?" The woman cut her off.

Harry nodded meekly.

The woman sighed. "Child, you have wandered into a very dangerous place. This is not where you should be, you cannot know about this place. I'm sorry." She made a motion to draw something from her sleeve. As the end of a wand peeked out Harry gasped quickly grabbed at her hands before she could draw her wand further. She had heard about these spells, human spells that usually harmed other people. The woman tensed but Harry started talking before she could do anything else.

"Please, you have to help me, my magic is gone and I need it back!" Harry blurted out. She had no idea why she would tell this woman, an almost complete strange about her weakness, but Harry reasoned that since the woman didn't attack her for hitting her cart, and also seemed to want to help her, Harry grasped at the chance.

The woman did not move, her stance still rigid and tense.

"You know of magic?" She whispered.

Harry nodded.

"yet you were raised by muggles?" She continued.

Harry tilted her head. The term "muggle" was unfamiliar to her. "For the past year I have been living in the London Orphanage." Harry announced, hoping this fact answered her question. The woman's eyes widened.

"And before that?" She pressed.

"With my gramps." Harry replied in a much smaller voice, unsure at why the woman was questioning her.

At her response the woman relaxed a bit before shifting her wand back into her sleeves.

"You said you didn't have magic?"

Harry shook her head. "No, I could do it before, but ever since I got to London, I couldn't do it anymore." Harry explained. The woman sighed again before looking around them. Their little encounter had several eyes gazing their way curiously. Not enough to provoke harm, but unprovoked attention was never good.

"Come." The woman stated abruptly, "We should talk elsewhere."

Harry followed the woman down the alley to a small shop tucked into the corner. The shop was dark inside. The lady pulled the cart around the shop, leaving Harry to stand alone in front, wondering once again if it was the right choice to follow the lady. She appeared a few minutes later, dusting her hands on her robes while pulling out a key. She went up to the door and unlocked it silently. As she stepped in, she waved her hands, and with a murmur, dim lights flared in to life from lamps stationed along the walls. The shop itself was filled with small charms and trinket in the front filling the display window. Further back, shrouded in more darkness were sets of bookcases filled with books. Harry gave a cursory glance to the accessories displayed before staring at the bookcases in the back.

The woman shifted and pulled out a chair, her movement bringing Harry's attention back to her.

"Child, it is not my intention to harm you. And as long as you answer my questions truthfully, I will allow no harm onto you." She stated calmly from her seated position.

Harry looked at the woman and recalled back on the sparse magical lessons she had back in the village. Gabriel and Sharyl had told her not to trust anyone too much, especially strangers. There was something about a contract between two people … Harry racked her brain to remember.

"Make a vow." Harry called out.

The woman smirked. "So you are not daft. Fine. But I can't do an unbreakable vow since we don't have a third person."

"A magical vow will be enough." Harry compromised.

"I, Melissa Taliesin vow that no harm shall befall the child in front of me from my hand or others shall he speak the truth. So mote it be."

"And it shall be done." Harry finished. Magic rippled in the air, almost tangible to the eyes but too quick to be seen. The woman let out a sigh.

"Who are you? How did you come here? Tell me the whole story, or as long far as you are comfortable with. I won't push, but know that I can only help you as much as you can put your faith in me."

"Well, I am called Harry …" Harry began the long narration of the story. She only gave the woman a general idea of her time in the village. The blood spell, the fairy village, Thanos, Harry did not tell the woman any of those things. Instead, her mind worked overtime to create a narration that would both be true, yet not the whole truth. She told the woman of how a fire forced her family to be teleported away from their house, and how she ended up in the place called London. Harry briefly went over her time at the orphanage, uncomfortable in sharing her bitter experiences, before ending the story with her following the mysterious stranger into the alley. The only thing she revealed about herself was what she had told the woman earlier, she was unable to use magic even though she used it before.

The woman nodded when she was done, and looked at her in contemplation.

"Have you heard of accidental magic?" The woman asked. Harry shook her head. Taking in her answer, the woman continued. "How old are you?"

"Almost nine." Harry replied. The woman gave her a surprised look.

"But you are so small." She exclaimed.

Harry scowled. "I believe height does not indicate age." She bit out coldly.

The woman's eyes softened at the obvious sore topic to the child. "I apologize Harry. Your height wasn't the only thing surprising to me. You see, in the magic world most children aren't able to perform magic until they are elven. By that time, they go to Hogwarts to study."

"Why aren't they able to do magic?" Harry asked.

"Children aren't able to do magic because they haven't matured enough to do so yet. You see, magic requires complicated spellcasting and control, furthermore it also requires a certain degree of physical strength to maintain the spell. Most young children lack the mental capacity to do it which is why they don't start until they are eleven. On rare occasions however, a child may have the physical fortitude to do magic, which is how accidental magic occur. But in those cases, it is mostly due to stress that pushes the child's mental capacity to a maximum."

"So what you are saying is that I _shouldn't_ be able to magic?"

The woman nodded.

"But that's inconceivable! I _have_ done magic before, and it's just that I can't reach it anymore." Harry yelled. She was getting frustrated, the conversation was going nowhere.

"Don't give me attitude Harry." The woman scolded lightly. "I am only trying to help."

Chastised, Harry hung her head in apology, "I apologize for my outburst, your explanation has been … frustrating."

"I understand Harry. But you should not raise your temper so quickly. I will consult a healer to see if there is anything wrong with you. Now the question is, what are we going to do from now on."

A moment of silence stretched.

"Please don't make me go back there!" Harry said abruptly.

The woman sighed, "Harry, if you suddenly disappeared, it will cause questioning. And the magical world can't have that. But, I can have you work here if you want. Until you go to Hogwarts that it."

Harry looked at the woman in wonder. She didn't want to return to the orphanage, but at least the woman was giving her a link to the magical world. It was more than what she thought she would get.

"Why are you willing to help me? To you, I am just a stranger." Harry asked, genuinely curious about the answer.

The witch paused, and gave a small smile, a look of nostalgia filled her face.

"Once Harry, I was also in a bad situation, and a stranger came and helped me. I never understood why, and now I can _try_ to understand." She looked at Harry critically. "Think of it as … an indulgence." She announced.

Harry nodded.

"So when should I come miss … er … Taliesin?" Harry asked awkwardly as she felt the conversation die out.

"Melissa."

"Huh?"

"Call me Melissa. I abhor formalities."

"Melissa then. When should I come?"

"Anytime." Came the curt reply.

"But … wouldn't that be troublesome? To come in unannounced?" Harry asked.

The woman gave a short laugh. "Child, you forget. We _are_ in a world of magic. Now I believe it is time to get you back to the orphanage before they realize something is amiss."

She opened a small drawer and rummaged through it before pulling out a small necklace shaped into a circle with an hourglass in the middle.

"Now this is a secret between you and I." She whispered as she winked conspiratorially and held out the necklace.

A/N: AAAAAaaaannnnddd I'm done with this chapter! Finally, Harry is back into Magical London. Isn't it great? Now she can learn all sort of stuff and stumble into all sort of trouble. I love being an author and I love plot armor (not like I'm using it yet but …) Anyways. Hope you enjoy. R&R.


	7. Vampire Father?

Disclaimer: See my name? It's not JKR, so Harry Potter isn't mine.

Chapter 7: Vampire Father?

"Harry! What did I tell you about reading those books!" Melissa questioned crossly from her position at the head of the bookshelves. Harry glanced up and quickly closed the book in her hand guiltily.

"Child, you _know_ dabbling in magic, especially advanced magical theory and dark arts can be dangerous." Melissa crossed her arms.

"But … it's so interesting. And it's not like I'm actually _practicing_ magic. I'm just reading." Harry retorted.

"Well, you are reading things you have no business reading."

Melissa walked over and swiped the book from Harry's hand, placing it neatly back onto the shelf.

"Besides, these books are for sale. What are you going to do if someone walks in on you reading? The customers will think I'm selling them second-hand books." She chided.

"But some of these _are_ second-hand books …" Harry trailed off exasperatedly, Melissa waved away her comment and pushed Harry to the front counter.

"Watch the counter for me. I have to do some things in the back." She called as she walked into the back of the shop where her office was located. Harry sighed dramatically and plopped herself down at the reception desk facing the entrance. Quickly taking a book off the nearby shelf, Harry made herself comfortable as she waited for clients. She had known Melissa for over a year already. Between multiple sessions of sneaking out at night, and even more uses of her time tuner, Harry had learned a lot more about the magical and muggle world. It was fascinating to compare the Wizengamont and the Ministry of Magic to the English Parliament. What was even more fascinating to Harry was the complete oblivious ignorance in which wizards thought of muggles and vice versa. The advantage of having some extra knowledge from both sides certainly wasn't lost on Harry. Being an avid scholar, Harry read and knew many more facts from both sides of the world that she used to make life easier. Instead of manually cleaning, Harry could use a cleaning charm. Instead of finding a place to fire call someone, it would be much easier to use a phone. The only problem was the limitations that both societies had. Magical law prevented Harry from using magic in the Muggle world, and no one in the magical world used muggle objects, so even if her ideas were more efficient, it would never be in place. However, one could always hope and extra knowledge was never a bad thing.

 _Child …. I sssense sssomeone dangerousss._

Thanos slithered out from beneath the desk. After warming up to Melissa, Harry had taken her reptilian companion with her when she went to the wizarding world. Thanos was not surprised at the change in scenery, and only commented about the increased magic in the air. Melissa raised her eyebrows when she saw him, but made no comment. Thanos was always on his best behavior, so the two kept a polite peaceful distance between them. Despite their relatively trusting relationship however, Harry kept her parseltongue ability to herself. Thanos had informed her, upon both their entrance into the wizarding world, that he had heard of this magical Britain before, and it was best to be inconspicuous as possible. Seeing no harm in that, Harry followed his directions, only speaking to him when they are alone, or when it was necessary. Thanks to this however, the two developed an ability to read each other fairly easily based on body language.

Harry heeded Thanos's warning and placed her book down, watching the entrance expectantly. Thanos slithered around her shoulder, draping himself across her back in case things got dangerous. Minutes later, a tall stranger in a hooded black robe walked in. Upon seeing Harry at the desk, the stranger paused.

"Oh my, what a surprise to see a child in this part of town." The new customer murmured from beneath his hood. It was hard to place his voice, which sounded almost boyish despite his tall stature. Harry straightened her posture and cleared her throat.

"Welcome to Melissa's Emporium, you will find useful trinkets near the display, and useful books on the bookshelves." Harry greeted, ignoring the person's earlier comment. The stranger chuckled.

"Ah, do excuse me. It has been quite a while since I have been greeted like that by a human child, or anyone for that matter." He continued as if Harry had not spoken at all. "It is quite an unexpected event. I'm Haemon Sanguina, you may have heard of my aunt, the lady Carmilla Sanguina. I do believe she is one of the people on those … cards."

Harry tensed. Customers in these parts usually avoided making small talk. Most just came in, bought their stuff, and left. Harry preferred it that way, and her opinion did not change as she regarded the stranger in front of her. He didn't seem to be dangerous, but looks can be deceiving. Deciding to humor him, Harry pretended to be interested.

"You mean the lady Carmilla who bathes in the blood of her victim? _That_ lady Carmilla?"

The man seemed to think about it before he leaned in and spoke in a low voice as if they were sharing the greatest secret.

"Yes, I do believe you are right. My aunt always had a bloody problem on hand." He replied in a manner most grave.

Harry cracked a small smile at his quip.

"I'm Harry." She introduced, reaching out her hand for a handshake. Haemon responded in kind, but instead of a handshake, he gave a light kiss on the back of her hand instead. Harry stiffened at the contact and attempted to pull away. However, she was unable to do so in Haemon's strong grip. Panic began to bubble within her as Haemon straightened to a standing posture, pulling back his hood, revealing pale skin, silver hair, and startling amber eyes.

"A pleasure to meet you, Lady Harry." He whispered.

Harry's smile faltered, and Thanos hissed threateningly from his perch at her shoulders. Haemon raised his eyebrows but focused on Harry's expression instead.

"Oh?! A secret? How wonderfully enchanting. I take it that lady Melissa doesn't know?" He asked rhetorically. Harry forcefully snatched back her hand as if it was on fire and quickly wiped it on the back of her robes.

"How?" She hissed, she was on full alert at the man in front of her.

"Ah, quite simple really my dear. Your glamour may lie, but blood _never_ lies." He leaned in even closer with a wide smile, allowing Harry a clear view of his inhumanly sharp canine teeth. Harry quickly connected the being in front of her to the information she read in the books and took a step back, panic rising.

"Y-yo-you are a –"

"Vampire, yes. I thought you figured it out when I mentioned Aunt Carmilla. Am I your first vampire? I'm honored."

He bowed with a grand flourish.

"You can't tell Melissa about me," Harry whispered urgently.

"Such a young child, yet wearing quite the advanced glamour… Fine. I suppose it would be interesting. However," he paused and gave Harry a wide smile. "You owe me a favor."

His tone wasn't threatening, but it raised her hackles anyways. "What do you want?" Harry asked warily.

The vampire smirked and leaned in, ignoring Thanos's threatening hiss. "Well, that's for you to find out isn't it?"

Harry scowled at him. "Fine. One favor. Nothing big, and I reserve the right to reject it if it is ridiculous." She bit out, her early friendly demeanor gone.

Haemon gave a dramatic sigh and pouted at the young girl. "Oh, such restrictions the young lady doth impose upon me. I suppose I can work with it, and I doubt you would oppose it much." He smiled again, giving Harry another glance at his inhumanely sharp teeth. Harry took in a deep breath. The panic was still there, but it was much more stable. At least the vampire was agreeable. Agreeable wasn't so bad, even if she had to make some compromises. At least a measure of control was there. Harry sent him a fierce glare before reaching to the side and pulling a rope hanging from the wall. Minutes later, Melissa shuffled out of her office.

"Haemon? It is surprising to see you without a prior announcement?" The woman's tone wasn't friendly, but not hostile either. Her face was a mask of neutrality. She glanced at Harry before shifting her sight onto the man.

"I believe you have met my ward, Harry?" She asked crisply.

"Yes, quite the interesting child," Haemon replied smoothly. "Time has been very good to you, lady Melissa. Has it only been three years? You look younger every time I meet you. Your beauty astounds me." He gave another extravagant bow.

Melissa snorted, "And you are growing older every time I meet you." She shot back. "Didn't you recently hold your centennial celebration? I have to apologize for missing that, but I figured only the elderly would have attended." She replied, eyes laughing. A small crack appeared in the vampire's mask as his smile faltered and he stood up swiftly.

"Perhaps you would find it too boring for a fledgling such as yourself." He replied coolly. Realizing that she may have crossed the line, Melissa smiled sheepishly at the miffed vampire cleared her throat.

"Apologies Haemon, it has been long, but old habits die hard. You know how it is. What brings you to this part of town? You rarely come to visit enough as it is."

"Well, I am in a bit of a dilemma, and I have a proposition." He explained.

Melissa sighed. "What brings you here _now_?"

"As you know, I recently held my centennial celebration. However, now the elders are nagging me to make an heir. But, as you know my dear, lady Melissa, I am not one to be tied to sentimentalities or responsibilities." The vampire paused and gave an exaggerated sigh. "I was going to ask you to help me come up with a solution but it seems that I have found one of my own." He smiled and motioned to Harry.

Harry, who had been listening to the adult's conversation, looked at the hand motioning to her blankly. She had become more relaxed in Melissa's presence as she realized the vampire was not hostile. However, she was only briefly understanding the conversation. Thanos, unlike his companion, did not hesitate to lunge and snap at the hand, causing Haemon to quickly withdraw his hand back to his side before he could be bitten. Meanwhile, Harry continued to stare and blink at where the hand used to be. If anyone had asked, Harry would say that she had been following the flow of the conversation rather well, given that she was only ten years old and had just been introduced to the magical world before. However, the young girl drew a blank at the proffered hand.

 _That blood sssucking parasssite … how dare he sssuggest thisss._

Thanos hissed angrily from Harry's shoulder. Harry looked at the snake in confusion and was about to voice her question when Melissa asked it first.

"Harry? You can't possibly be thinking what I am thinking. Harry is just a child, quite uninvolved with the magical world, and I would like it to stay that way until he goes to Hogwarts." Melissa stated firmly.

"But can't you see?" Haemon pleaded, "I need Harry is perfect _because_ he is uninvolved. Be reasonable, lady Melissa, can there be any better solution besides requiring me to take a partner, and binding my soul to the institution we know as monogamous marriage? Surely you jest. A blood adoption would provide much more benefits. The coven would protect him, and the power extended to the Sanguina clan would also extend to Harry. Harry will literally have a magical creature ancestry. Can you imagine the advantage that he will have?"

"Haemon have you finally gone barmy after all these years? Vampires have the status equal to magical creatures. Even if your family is the bloody richest clan, I highly doubt you would have enough power to protect Harry if you ever got that child in trouble." Melissa retorted. "I will have to politely decline your offer. Harry has enough on his plate as it is. Goodness, the child only discovered the magical world last year. No need to get him tangled in politics. Really, of all the idiotic ideas you have come up with." The woman scoffed.

Not put off by her rejection, the vampire closed the distance between himself and Melissa. "But lady Melissa, we _do_ have the power." Under the dim lighting within the shop, Haemon's eyes glowed. "You see, in the recent years, we have been in a … negotiation of sorts with a person who has considerable influence in the Ministry of Magic. If anything goes awry … well, there is always another option. I promise Harry will be completely safe. He will just be acting as a makeshift heir of sorts until I have the elders off my back. Please lady Melissa, you have to help me." His tone was urgent but not forceful.

Melissa sighed. "Look Haemon, Harry is raised in the muggle world, in fact, he is an orphan. I am only Harry's interim guardian so he can acquaint himself with the magic world before he attends Hogwarts. If you want to ask anyone, you will have to ask Harry first for his opinion." She stated firmly. The two looked at Harry, who was still in the process of taking in all the information.

 _Favor_. Haemon mouthed silently and made a pleading motion.

Harry grimaced, "Am I going to have to do anything dangerous?" She asked cautiously.

"Nope!" Haemon replied cheerfully. "You just have to pretend to be my heir."

"What about the orphanage?" Harry directed this question at both Melissa and Haemon.

"Harry, have you read up on blood adoptions yet?" Melissa asked gently. Harry shook her head negative.

"Blood adoption is like human adoptions, but your magic becomes influenced by the magic of your adopter. In this case, Haemon's magic may leave some imprints on your own magic, which means you may gain some vampiric abilities. However, if it is done, it can never be undone."

"You mean, is it like the blood spell where you exchange blood?" Harry asked curiously. At her description of the spell, both adult's face darkened.

"Harry, where did you read about that?" Melissa asked.

"Umm … it was on one of the books on the shelf. I think someone bought it though." Harry lied.

"A ritual spell. I almost forgot about those." Haemon muttered contemplatively.

"Harry, don't ever mention this spell or attempt to do it alright? It's really dangerous, and it is considered a dark spell." Melissa warned. "But to answer your question, blood adoption is different from the blood pact, which is the spell you mentioned. The blood pact requires an exchange of blood to bind your magic to the magic of the other people you are with, if you are not compatible you can undergo a rejection reaction. Furthermore, all parties will share the link with each other. A blood adoption spell on the other hand, extends your blood relation to the adopter, but does not bind your magic and instead of sharing the link both ways, it shares the link one way from the adopter, to the adoptee. However, since your blood has changed, your magic may be affected to a lesser extent." Melissa explained.

"What if you do a blood pact and an adoption at the same time?" Harry asked.

"So many questions Harry, is there something you would like to share with us?" Haemon stared at the young girl. Lowering her head from his glowing eyes, Harry shrugged.

"Just curious." She murmured.

Haemon stared at her for a moment before seeming to come to a conclusion as he shrugged. "Well, don't worry your pretty head about it. The two spells are compatible with each other, seeing that one does not affect the boundaries of the other spell. So, would you like me to adopt you?" Haemon inquired.

Harry frowned. "If that's the case, can't Melissa just adopt me instead?" Harry looked towards the woman that had become a mentor and mother figure for her in the past year. Melissa flinched when Harry asked her the question.

"Sorry Harry," the woman stammered, "I don't think I can do it. It would be better if Haemon did it with you anyways." Melissa ended her answer hastily, offering no explanation. Harry frowned at the shop keeper's answer as she tried to disguise her disappointment. Haemon, noticing Melissa's discomfort, quickly cut in.

"So what do you say, Harry. Want to be adopted by a vampire? I am sure there are certain perks you could enjoy. We can teach you many things about the world. Even more, since you are my blood heir." Haemon offered.

Harry pursed her lips and concentrated on the option she was given. Haemon didn't seem like an evil person, just very overdramatic. The whole heir business was a bit sketchy, but Harry itched to find out more about the magical world. There were many books that Melissa did not let her read and her inquisitive mind yearned for more knowledge. Besides, the vampire had guaranteed her safety, so what could possibly go wrong?

"I won't turn into a vampire or anything right?" Harry asked. The thought of drinking blood did not appeal to her in the least.

"Nope! The elders may not be satisfied that you aren't a real vampire, but just having you as an heir will be more than enough to keep them quiet." Haemon replied cheerfully. "For a little while, at least." He added.

Harry glanced at Melissa again, and the woman gave her a meek smile, offering her support for whatever decision Harry makes. Thanos slithered around her neck, gaining her attention.

 _It isss a good opportunity to sssee new thingsss. I ssshall protect you from the parasssite if necesssary._ The snake hissed, almost silently, like a whisper in her ear. Absentmindedly petting Thanos, Harry glanced between the two adults who waited for her decision expectantly.

"How are we going to get Lady Agnes to accept this?" She asked.

~.~.~.~

Apparently humans were very susceptible to magic. A bit too susceptible in Harry's opinion. It made her cringe as Haemon worked his vampire allure on the adults at the orphanage. The children shied away from the vampire, but lady Edith and lady Agnes were fawning over him. Harry followed behind Haemon nervously. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Donald and she tensed, fear from her last experience crowding out all thoughts. Subconsciously, she leaned towards Haemon as she stared at the boy. However, Donald only sneered at her, too afraid to come out and attack her in the adult's presence. Still, Harry could not prevent the small trembling in her hands. It has been a year since she had come in direct contact with him. From the time she escaped from his group and accidentally wandered into the magical world, Harry spent every waking moment in the muggle world avoiding him and holing herself in the library. She had repeatedly told herself it was fine, and that she was safe, but the fear didn't stop, and eventually Harry locked that memory deep within the recess of her mind to deal with later instead of having it haunt her every minute she was in the orphanage. Instead, she concentrated all her effort into learning about the new world she found. Being around Melissa made her feel safe. Being in the emporium also made her safe.

During the first two weeks, lady Agnes constantly harassed her to get out, go to school, and behave like the other children. The constant yelling was pulling Harry deeper into depression and during on session, Thanos got annoyed once and made a snap at the matron. She had called Harry unspeakable names after that, and threatened to have the authority come to drag her and her pet abomination out. But they never did, and Harry was confident they never would. She knew that lady Agnes found the procedure and the paperwork too tedious. Eventually, lady Agnes concluded that Harry was a stupid child not worthy of her time and effort, and stated "if you want to be stupid, fine. You will _never_ find a family."

Haemon himself was dressed in fine muggle garments, giving him an imposing look, but yet charming when he wanted to be. He had glamoured his hair to be black and dimmed his eyes to a caramel color. Before they had arrived at the orphanage, Haemon had explained that he was going to use vampire allure. It was similar to Veela allure, but it can influence both sexes, and he could control who it was affecting, unlike Veela allure which only affect men indiscriminately. Currently, Haemon was wearing a charming smile on his face as he signed several pieces of paper with flourish.

"Well, it was wonderful meeting you ladies." Haemon tipped his hat at the matron and the cook. The two giggled foolishly at his remark.

"Do come back if you need anything, Harry can be freaky sometimes, and I do have some tips on restraining him if you need." Lady Agnes gave a high pitched laughter.

Haemon smiled tightly, his eyes grim.

"Ah, well I'm sure that won't be necessary. Good day, Madams." He replied curtly before holding out a hand for Harry to latch onto. Haemon gave a short bow to the two ladies who were still giggling hyperactively before stepping outside of the orphanage with Harry.

As soon as they were out, Haemon gave a huge sigh of relief. "Blimey! Those were the dimmest women I have met in my lifetime. And I have lived for a pretty long time and met many different women. Are they always like that? So bloody ignorant and uncaring?" He asked Harry with concern once they were out of distance.

Harry shrugged nonchalantly. "They were alright I suppose. Half of it was probably due to the allure." She kept her eyes on the ground as she replied, not making eye contact with the vampire beside her. Haemon paused mid step, and turned the young girl to face him before crouching down.

"Harry, from the short time I have interacted with those muggles I could already tell they were narrow-minded fools whose idiocy and cruelty know no bounds. I don't know what happened there and I won't ask, but I promise you this. You shall always have my protection at the Sanguina clan, and I will always be there for you." The vampire gazed earnestly into Harry's eyes.

Unable to avoid his gaze, Harry could only nod mutely. She didn't want to deal with the memories there. Memories of the past belonged to the past, and she did _not_ want to drag them into the present no matter what. Giving Haemon a grim smile rarely shown on children's faces, she whispered, "Thank you Haemon, it has been hard there but I am fine. Especially since I never have to go back there again." Her sentence ended on a lighter tone, her thoughts about leaving the orphanage was obvious in the way she spoke. Haemon nodded at her statement and extended his arm.

"Well then my dear little heiress, ready to meet the family?"

A/N: It was really hard writing and developing Harry's character after her traumatic experience of alm\most being raped. Personally, I never had that happen to me (and I'm thankful) but I wanted to portray it as how a person may react in real life _if_ it did happen. I know that everyone is different, so reactions are different, but given Harry's character, I tried my best. Any critiques would be welcome. Happy Reading.

 **IMPORTANT:** Anyone who wants to see the current story I am working on, out of my other ongoing fanfics can now see it on my profile.


	8. Dysfunctional Families

No, I am not dead, and yes, I am still alive. I said I would never drop any of my stories, so here I am, writing a new chapter. I know I have been on hiatus for a long time. Apologies. I had this chapter half done and finished the last part recently. You guys may have noticed a change in my writing style and that will continue forward as I move on with future chapters. (I would like to think I have improved.) I will be updating my other stories as well once I have time. Cheers.

Disclaimer: JKR wrote Harry Potter. Unless I can time travel back, I can't say that I am JKR.

Chapter 8: Dysfunctional Families

The Sanguina family screamed elegance. One would not be able to tell by Haemon's behavior, but as soon as Harry stepped through the gate into the Sanguina family home, grace and elegance swirled around her. Harry struggle not to gape, but she could not hide the expression of wonder on her face. Thanos curled around her neck and made a pointed move to pretend to be asleep, clearly unimpressed and bored with the whole process. As the duo stepped into the estate, a small entourage composed of maids and butlers greeted the at the entrance.

"Welcome back Master."

An old man, of a quite short stature greeted Haemon.

"Thank you, Albert." Haemon replied. "Any news from the elders?"

"No Master, they have only sent another messenger to remind you of the centennial celebrations coming up."

Haemon gave a sharp nod. "Very well, I shall draft a letter tonight. Meanwhile, call the family. I have an announcement to make before dinner tonight."

The butler nodded before pausing to look at Harry trailing behind Haemon.

"And respectfully Master, may I inquire what a … _mortal_ is doing here?" He asked, quite disdainfully emphasizing Harry's status.

"Albert. You should show respect to my heir." Haemon cut in sharply.

Properly reprimanded, Albert gave a stiff bow, before addressing Harry.

"Apologies mistress." He bit out.

Harry remained silent, still standing behind Haemon. Sensing the tense atmosphere, Haemon broke out into an exuberant grin.

"Well, since introductions are over, if one of you could escort Harry to her room and prepare for dinner, it would be quite lovely." He announced pointedly.

Albert nodded and motioned to one of the maids to lead Harry. Harry on the other hand, gave Haemon a stare.

"It will be fine princess." He teased lightly.

Harry however, flinched at the moniker that her family had called her before. Noticing this, Haemon, quickly changed his speech.

"How about this little lady, go and follow the maid and prepare for dinner. I shall come fetch you when it is time. I promise no one will hurt you or bite you." He smiled reassuringly. "Well, if they do, I will be sure to make them pay with blood if your little friend hasn't already done so." He gestured to Thanos, who was still pretending to be asleep around Harry's neck.

Harry nodded solemnly, and followed the maid into the hall. Turning to Albert, Haemon gave him a hard stare.

"We have to talk."

Haemon began to walk swiftly into his office, Albert at his heels.

Once they have walked into the study, Haemon motioned for Albert to close the door as he settled down behind the desk.

"Report."

"Yes Master. Currently, I have a person following the messenger around the house. As you have expected, they are trying to infiltrate inside. Furthermore, we have received word from our contact by the elders. The Lady Carmilla has been unwell, with her recent deterioration in health, the other elders are planning to take her power and appoint a new elder by forcing her into the recovery state.

 _Bam_. "How dare they!" Haemon slammed his hand on his desk as he stood up. "And what was her lady's opinion?"

"She has remained silent in this development."

Haemon sighed. "Alright Albert. Thank you for informing me of this. Are there any other matters to attend to before dinner?"

Albert hesitated, "Well master, your sister …"

"What did she do this time? Has she caused any problems?" Haemon asked sharply.

"No. however, during your absence, she had another episode. I am afraid it is getting worse. Her mate, that is, Master's brother-in-law has also attempted to take control of the house during the chaos, claiming that he needed to assume power to treat your sister. I was able to mitigate the situation before any more damage has been done but I had to contact the elders. Currently, he is being suppressed under the elder's orders to behave until you arrive. Your nephew remains relatively unaware of the situation, as the maids have kept him busy."

Haemon breathed out another sigh. "Bring me to the fool. I will have to teach him the proper decorum again."

Albert nodded and quietly stepped outside the office. Haemon rubbed his temple. It was a wonder how he remained sane living with the clan over the years. If it wasn't for his sister, he would have left and never looked back. But the longer he stayed, the longer he felt trapped, drowning in a muddy swamp of darkness.

His door clicked open, and Alkrose, his sister's husband strutted in arrogantly. Alkrose was slightly shorter than Haemon, but had a charm about him that every lady he met seemed to fall for. Haemon would never see what his father saw in the man to allow his sister under his care. Alkrose scowled, and a clear air of irritation vibrated around him.

"Finally back from your mingling with those filthy humans I see." he sneered.

"You will do well to respect me Alkrose." Haemon replied coldly. "I have already heard the report of your behavior during my absence. You should be grateful that I am not executing you on the spot."

"Ha, execute? You can't even execute me if you wanted to. Not as long as the blood contract remains between your sister and I. Ah, what a dilemma, to always have to care for a crippled brethren that can't even do anything herself. Well, not like I have to do anything, Sarasha is so infatuated with me that she can't even see straight." he paused dramatically, "Oh my bad, I forgot. She's blind, so I guess she can't even see." he mocked. Haemon clenched his fists, and charged at Alkrose, grabbing him by the throat and slamming him into the ground.

"You will cease to insult my sister, scum. She is your wife, and whether you like it or not, you are now bonded. You had a choice, and you accepted." He seethed.

"Choice? Like your father gave me any." He spat out bitterly. "You have no idea what I had to pay for this _choice_ your father offered. I'm going to make your life a living hell. Mark my words."

"Enough of your insolence. You test my insolence." Haemon tilted his head, "If I remember correctly, wasn't your mother recovering from an illness? Perhaps I should make a visit to wish her health" The sentence was stated with a tone of complete sincerity, yet his eyes were cold as ice. Alkrose scowled, but remained silent without any more remarks. Satisfied that he had made his point, Haemon released his grip on the vampire.

"You will be meeting my heir tonight, and I expect you to show proper decorum. Should you do anything to threaten his well-being, you will find the _choice_ you made with my father regarding my sister to be child's play." Haemon gave one last glare. "Get out."

Alkrose hastily scrambled off the floor and sent one hateful glare to Haemon before striding out. Haemon looked at Albert.

"Is there anything else to take care of?"

Albert silently handed him a stack off paperwork.

Haemon cursed under his breath.

By the time dinner rolled around, the initial surprise at the mansion had died down and Harry was quite curious about the building itself and its occupants. After seeing several maids and butlers around the house, Harry wondered if there were any other people living in the large mansion aside from Haemon and herself. She had asked the maid that brought her to her room about the other occupants, but the maid only smiled and informed her she would be meeting them at dinner.

Now Harry was wandering down the halls, a tad bit lost, not that she would admit it. She was dressed in formal wear for dinner, which included black trousers, a white button with a black vest, along with a long cape that almost touched the ground as she walked. Harry personally felt ridiculous in the get-up, but the maid assured her it was for her introductions, and that it would please Haemon. As she walked down the halls, Harry noticed the distinct lack of portraits. Her readings had led her to believe that most wizarding families were rather fond of portraits and items that pampered to their own ego. Perhaps vampires were different, or maybe it had something to do with the muggle tales of how vampires would never be able to see their reflection in the mirror due to their supposed lack of soul. Perhaps portraits worked similarly, Harry mused. She would have to ask Haemon.

She wished Thanos was with her, maybe he could help her navigate with his snake senses and what not. But the snake had long went out to hunt and stated he would not return until later that evening if not tomorrow.

Suddenly, a soft voice drifted through the air. It had a haunting quality that calmed Harry and immediately made Harry feel familiar to the singer. Harry wandered down the hall, following the voice. Her ears brought her to a darker part of the mansions, where all the windows were closed and windy drafts floated through the hall. Harry stopped in front the room where she thought the voice was coming from. The door was slightly ajar, and inside it was completely dark. Wanting to be polite, Harry knocked on the door softly. The singing stopped immediately, and a soft "come in" drifted from the room. Harry creaked the door open and stared into the dark. She could barely make out the outline of a woman sitting in a chair. She was rocking back and forth gently, and appeared to be unperturbed by Harry's interruption. Before Harry could ask her why she was singing in the dark, the woman spoke up.

"Are you the new maid? I didn't recognize your footsteps."

Harry paused, "No mam." She replied, "Lord Haemon became my guardian and took me under his wing. I believe am to reside here with him for the duration of my studies until I go to Hogwarts."

The woman paused her rocking, and beckoned Harry over with her hand. Harry walked over until she was a meter away from the woman, not saying a word. Suddenly the woman lunged and grasped at Harry, her hands settling on the small child's shoulders. Frozen in shock, Harry held her breath as the woman examined her. She didn't think the woman would hurt her, or at least she hoped not. She had felt much familiarity between them through her song, and it saddened the child to think that a potential friend may not be a friend at all. The strange woman sniffed, or rather Harry heard her sniff since the room was still dark and her eyes hadn't adjusted to the night yet.

"You are a human child." The woman stated, "How interesting. It has been many years since I have seen a human child. Even longer since the last time I tasted one. Your kind is so delicious after all." The woman murmured. Her tone was even, as if she was talking about the weather, not feasting on human children. Harry shivered, her discomfort visible. The woman felt her shudders through her hands, and Harry could feel her smile in her next sentence.

"I believe it is almost time for dinner, yes?" She asked.

Harry wasn't sure if the woman was referring to the formal dinner or addressing herself as potential dinner.

"Yes. I got lost on my way to the dining hall." Harry squeaked out.

The woman laughed.

"Ah yes, I suppose someone new here would easily get lost in the house. Follow me child, I believe my brother waits for us. If what you say is true, you may address me as Aunt Sarasha." The woman, Sarasha, took Harry's hand. Her grip was tight, but Harry didn't make a sound. In the dim light of the hallway, Harry almost had trouble holding in her gasp of surprise as the woman stepped into the light. She was a beautiful lady, as one would expect of Haemon's sister. However, it seemed like she existed between a state of being and not being, almost as if she was an illusion rather than a real person. Her eyes flickered between gold and red, as if the orbs couldn't decide to settle on which color. Harry belatedly realize that her eyes never focused on anything and that the lady was, for a lack of a better word or comparison, blind as a bat. Harry smiled inwardly thinking of the association that vampires and bats had in the muggle world.

Harry provided little resistance as the woman dragged her around. If they were going to dinner, which Harry had hoped so, she figured Haemon would do something about Sarasha if she was a danger to her well-being. The two made it to the dining hall rather quickly after Sarasha made some decisive turns and loops around long corridors. Harry was not too surprised when Sarasha never bumped into anything. She had an eerie affect of looking through something yet at the same time looking directly at the object. Harry was slightly curious if it was sound waves she was using to navigate or her memory and five senses. However, she decided against asking her question things it never seemed to go well when she ever questioned the other adults at the orphanage.

"Well here we are." The woman muttered, half to herself and half to Harry as she threw two heavy oak doors open with one hand. The dining hall itself was elaborate, like the rest of the family home. The vaulted ceiling was filled with paintings of mythology and fantastic creatures in each panel. Long chandeliers casted in bronze hung low, lighting the table with its mass of candles sitting atop the etched rings of each chandelier level. The table itself was filled with food, from one end to another. Each chair was thronelike, though slender, with the most resplendent chairs at the end where the lord and lady of the house would sit. What surprised Harry was the amount and variety of food that was set on the table. There were the normal cuisine from England, but there were also food she had never seen before or read about. Harry mentally re-organized her image of vampires as blood-sucking mindless monsters. Although Haemon had been the perfect host and parent so far, Harry was very familiar with the fallacy of assigning a whole group a characteristic based on the actions of one alone. It was something she had commonly seen in the orphanage, and she was determined not to make the same mistake.

Once they entered the dining area, Sarasha dropped Harry's hand abruptly and made her way to one of the chairs at the table. She stiffly sat down and looked forward, her gaze still unfocused, and her face blank. It was as if she had forgotten Harry's existence. Cautiously, Harry made her way to the chair across from Sarasha and plopped herself down. As she made herself comfortable, the dining doors flew open again and a polished, very well dressed – if not overly so, gentleman entered the room. Giving the occupants a cursory sweep, he shot Harry a look of contempt before focusing his attention on Sarasha and sneering at her. He smoothly walked down by the dining table until he was next to Sarasha.

"Good evening _dear_ , I hope you didn't have a hard time entertaining our guest?" He gave Sarasha a saccharine smile as he took the seat next to her. Sarasha gave no hint of hearing the question, still staring blankly in front of her. The man gave an annoyed growl and slammed his hand down the table.

"Answer me!"

Sarasha continued to stare blankly in front of her, giving no attention to the raging man besides her.

"Alkrose, you will cease this foolish behavior."

Haemon strode into the dining hall, his face thunderous as he glared at Alkrose.

"Please, learn some basic courtesy."

The other scoffed, settling down into his seat with his face turned away, clearly ignoring Haemon. Haemon sighed, before looking to Harry and shooting her a bright smile.

"Good evening Harry, I hope you found your accommodations fitting? I did go to your room to escort you, but I believe you had already left for dinner when I arrived."

"Ah," Harry smiled awkwardly, "I kinda wanted to explore … and kinda got lost … but no worries, Aunt Sarasha helped me get here!" the child exclaimed.

Haemon gave his sister a sharp look at Harry's explanation.

"Well, good to know. As long as you are safe."

It would be an understatement to say that dinner was an awkward affair. Haemon kept up small talk with Harry about her studies, but it was clear he was pretending the other two occupants in the room didn't exist. In fact, besides the initial exchange between Haemon and Alkrose, there were no more words spoken. Alkrose did glare coldly at Haemon and contemptuously at Harry throughout dinner, but made no more spiteful comments. Sarasha sat quietly and docilly in her seat. She ate when food was served and swiftly left after she was done eating with Alkrose following quickly behind. Harry sighed.

"Is it always like this?"

Haemon looked a bit surprised at her question before pausing to consider it seriously. "Yes. Our family hasn't been on the best of terms with each other for several generations. Which would be centuries translating in human age. I'm afraid that it would be something for you to get used to. The man you saw tonight was Alkrose, my brother-in-law. Beware of him, he has been trying to get control of the Sanguina family since my father died. Sarasha is his wife and my sister. As you may have noticed, she is blind. I would also advise you to keep your distance from her. Generally, she isn't dangerous per se, but she tends to be a bit unpredictable."

Harry nodded.

"Regretting the blood adoption yet?" Haemon teased.

Harry huffed. "Just show me the way to your library and arrange for a tutor. It was in our deal after all. Besides," she looked around the lavishly decorated dining room "I suppose I could make use of some perks."

Haemon grinned at her answer. "Anything for you, little lady."


End file.
